Comments on: My Constituents Weigh In http://willbop.breebop.com/2006/11/03/my-constituents-weigh-in/ Just a Bee in the Bree Bonnet Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:03:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: willbop » United Indies and Public Participation http://willbop.breebop.com/2006/11/03/my-constituents-weigh-in/#comment-867 willbop » United Indies and Public Participation Sun, 05 Nov 2006 05:20:46 +0000 http://willbop.breebop.com/2006/11/03/my-constituents-weigh-in/#comment-867 [...] Thanks Joss for that last comment. I too am stunned by the small amount of people that are willing to get informed and participate - or even form opinions- on political issues and current events. I can’t help but think however that a riding represented by a “mercenary MP” would get supercharged with participation. Not all issues are important to all people, like stem cell research; maybe a hard core environmentalist or tax reform person would not really care, but those who did care would be way more likely to make their voices heard. And for once, their voices would matter. [...] […] Thanks Joss for that last comment. I too am stunned by the small amount of people that are willing to get informed and participate - or even form opinions- on political issues and current events. I can’t help but think however that a riding represented by a “mercenary MP” would get supercharged with participation. Not all issues are important to all people, like stem cell research; maybe a hard core environmentalist or tax reform person would not really care, but those who did care would be way more likely to make their voices heard. And for once, their voices would matter. […]

]]> By: jocelyn http://willbop.breebop.com/2006/11/03/my-constituents-weigh-in/#comment-861 jocelyn Sat, 04 Nov 2006 22:02:10 +0000 http://willbop.breebop.com/2006/11/03/my-constituents-weigh-in/#comment-861 So I don't know if I mentioned it in my previous e-mail, but I have to speak directly to the issue of the inherent flaws of poll-taking, and the idea of having "expert" special interest MPs. Polls suffer the same flaws that much of epidemiological research suffers: Reporting bias, Recall bias, and more. Simply put, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and only on issues that are important to them. Since due to many issues of housing distribution, sampling, and simply the lack of trust some constituents may have for their representation, many people won't report in, and so we will be back in the tyranny of the majority all over again. Representation that rests solely on polling is destined to reinforce the barriers that keep the unheard out of politics today. If there was another way around that it that would maintain the attention and participation (good luck) of as many constituents as possible, yet seek to include the voices of the bored, the poor, the phoneless, young, old, and speakers of other languages, that would be sweeeet. I would think that having MPs who aren't specialist in any one area would be helpful, but hard on the politicos forming the cabinet. Obviously we are going to get a little of everything in parliament, but I think the closest representation on a riding level would come from a constituent who at least had good reading, writing and communication skills, and with a basic interest in politics at minimum (preferably an understanding of how the system works), and the system would be set up to allow consultation with experts to fill in the gaps on a given issue. I can't tell you how irritating it is to be a scientist and to watch the politicos debate things like stem cell research or climate change with no real understanding at all of the biological realities - for people to just admit that they don't know the basics of an issue would be far more representative than to pretend one knows these things and legislate like a bonehead. ...cheeky cheeky.... So I don’t know if I mentioned it in my previous e-mail, but I have to speak directly to the issue of the inherent flaws of poll-taking, and the idea of having “expert” special interest MPs.

Polls suffer the same flaws that much of epidemiological research suffers: Reporting bias, Recall bias, and more. Simply put, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and only on issues that are important to them. Since due to many issues of housing distribution, sampling, and simply the lack of trust some constituents may have for their representation, many people won’t report in, and so we will be back in the tyranny of the majority all over again. Representation that rests solely on polling is destined to reinforce the barriers that keep the unheard out of politics today. If there was another way around that it that would maintain the attention and participation (good luck) of as many constituents as possible, yet seek to include the voices of the bored, the poor, the phoneless, young, old, and speakers of other languages, that would be sweeeet.

I would think that having MPs who aren’t specialist in any one area would be helpful, but hard on the politicos forming the cabinet. Obviously we are going to get a little of everything in parliament, but I think the closest representation on a riding level would come from a constituent who at least had good reading, writing and communication skills, and with a basic interest in politics at minimum (preferably an understanding of how the system works), and the system would be set up to allow consultation with experts to fill in the gaps on a given issue.
I can’t tell you how irritating it is to be a scientist and to watch the politicos debate things like stem cell research or climate change with no real understanding at all of the biological realities - for people to just admit that they don’t know the basics of an issue would be far more representative than to pretend one knows these things and legislate like a bonehead.
…cheeky cheeky….

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