Coalitions - Death
of Democracy
It took the leading parties in Austria three months to form a government and
already the ministers of both parties are doing what politicians
usually do best - trying to impose more taxes on the public and
spending the money they raised without any democratic approval for
either the new taxes, their level or the use of the proceeds. Case
in point: this weekend leading members of both government parties
called for higher (how high?) taxes on aircraft fuel. This is a
particularly arbitrary and discriminatory tax as the total
contribution of air traffic to the global production of CO2
emissions is dwarfed by emissions created by road traffic, industry
and heating. In Austria, as in other countries rules by coalition
governments there is very little effective opposition to government
fiat and the introduction of direct democracy therefore all the more
urgent.
5-Mar-07
Direct Democracy vital check on Coalitions
Instruments of Direct Democracy are the only way for the citizen to
ensure that governments that are formed by a coalition of the large
parties are under some sort of democratic control.
This is particularly relevant in times when a so-called Grand
Coalition forms the Government as is presently the case in Germany
under Chancellor Angela Merkel.
22-Nov-06 |
Power to the citizens
We are advocating a radical shift in the
balance of power
What is democratic?
A different definition
Au-To
A combination of authoritarian and
totalitarian
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