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Bill: Power to the People Act
Details
Submitted by[?]: The Royal Union
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This bill asks for an amendement to the Constitution. It will require two-thirds of the legislature to vote in favor. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: December 2786
Description[?]:
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Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change The method used to determine the number of seats each region receives in the national legislature.
Old value:: Equal representation, regardless of region population.
Current: A proportional algorithm that gives a very small advantage to larger regions.
Proposed: A proportional algorithm that gives a very small advantage to larger regions.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 00:52:49, July 14, 2009 CET | From | Union Hosienne-Démocrate (UHD) | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | We must disagree. Each region of Kanjor should be treated equally given that each is unique in character, culture, tradition, and government. |
| Date | 01:27:21, July 14, 2009 CET | From | The Royal Union | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | We refuse to believe the sparsely populated regions of Kanjor should carry as much electoral weight as our greatest cities. Yes, the votes of the rural areas are just as valid but the electors of larger regions statistically represent a greater diversity of opinons given their size, and this must be taken into account. Laurent Blanc (UR) Justice Minister |
| Date | 17:03:43, July 14, 2009 CET | From | Union Hosienne-Démocrate (UHD) | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | The people of the Isle of Tondola have unique circumstances, interests, and issues compared to the people of the Mainland. They also have only two reasons and a smaller population. This bill will deny them of their rights; allowing the interests of the Mainland to dictate to the people of the Isle. Under the current system, the people of the Mainland already have more votes, but this bill will widen that gap, disenfranchising a whole group. |
| Date | 17:05:06, July 14, 2009 CET | From | Union Hosienne-Démocrate (UHD) | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | Oops, regions*, not "reasons" |
| Date | 20:09:43, July 14, 2009 CET | From | The Royal Union | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | Let's look at the statistics here: The region of Zanyal has 27% of Kanjor's population but is only represented by 20% of seats in Government. The region of Vagderra has only 14% and the same percentage of seats in Government. So the argument that "the people of the Mainland have more votes" is true by virtue of sheer numbers, but they still remain dangerously underrepresented. Laurent Blanc (UR) Justice Minister |
| Date | 01:49:19, July 15, 2009 CET | From | Union Hosienne-Démocrate (UHD) | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | That still doesn't change the argument the MO has made. What this bill will do is cut seats from the Isle of Tondola's regions, and give them to the Mainland; therefore disenfranching a unique area of Kanjor and giving it to the other area. If Kanjor was like Alduria and had no unique regions with special intersts or issues we would support this, but because Kanjor is separated by the Channel we cannot support this. Remember, at one time, Kanjor was one the "Republic of Kanjor and Tondola", the "Confederation of the Two Kanjors", the "Advocacy of the Two Kanjors", the "Kanjorien Confederation". The point being that Kanjor has a long tradition of federalism as a collection of semi-independent regions and not as a unitarist state. Therefore, representation of the equality of regions was important, not the equality of individuals withing those regions. Therefore, let's continue this tradition of equality of the regions and keep the current legislation. |
| Date | 04:36:32, July 15, 2009 CET | From | The Royal Union | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | This is not a matter of 'cutting' seats from any one region or another. This is a matter of equality. This bill actually makes true representative democracy possible by taking into account the simple fact that more people should equal more representation. By voting against this, you're saying the people of the mainland deserve to be underrepresented. Romantic notions of the past aside, we are now one Kanjor. and we cannot support such grossly disproportionate systems dictating the politics of our nation-- especially given the strong waves of nationalism Kanjor was experiencing at the time of the UR's founding. |
| Date | 05:51:48, July 15, 2009 CET | From | Union Hosienne-Démocrate (UHD) | To | Debating the Power to the People Act |
| Message | We disagree profoundly on the purpose of the Estates-General. The UR, and many others, believe it exists to make representation equal for all people. The MO, and apparently the PRT, believes it exists to make all the regions equal. Given that this will undoubtably pass regardless of what any of us say here, we can only supply our viewpoint and move on. We can all agree to disagree. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 319 | ||||
| no | Total Seats: 281 | ||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: Particracy does not allow real-life fictional references (eg. Gandalf, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker). |
| Random quote: "Politics: a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." - Ambrose Bierce |