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Hi guys

I was just thinking how democracy often times fails to deliver what people want and whats best for the country. Although admittedly often those two things are completely different.

Take for instance in America. Obama was elected on a platform to reform health care. People wanted a public option for health care (like most western countries including Australia have), but instead all they were able to pass was a compromised legislation that seemed to be all about giving the big insurance companies more customers by mandating that everyone purchase health care. Also now that America's budget deficit is approaching the debt ceiling, the Republicans who control the house of reps, have insisted upon tax cats to the wealthy and cuts to american medicare (the over 65 health care scheme) and social security which people don't want or else they won't support raising the debt ceiling. If America defaults on its loans, we all get another GFC!

Australia is admittedly slightly less f*cked than that, but still f*cked. Kevin Rudd was our prime minister from the centre-left Labor party elected in a landslide in 2007. A huge part of his platform was action on climate change in the form of an emissions trading scheme, which had wide public support. But Labor didn't have a majority in the Australian Senate making it difficult to get through contentious legislation. However because of the support behind it, they were able to negociate a ETS package with the conservative opposition (called the Liberal party - go figure). But due to the Liberal party moving much further right-wing over that period, involving a change in leadership, it ended up being blocked 3 times in the Senate and Labor dumped it (or postponed it as they put it). This causes Labor's support to hemorage so much that they dumped Kevin Rudd himself and put up a new Prime Minister, our current one, Julia Gillard. Gillard said she'd introduce a new ETS, but Labor had become so unpopular that she was just saying any old sh*t to get reelected at the 2010 election, including ruling out other climate change measures like a carbon tax. She scraped into power again by the skin of her teeth, but due to the makeup of both houses of parliament, the Greens Party (a left-wing environmentalist party) now had a lot of influence, and they dictated a carbon tax instead of an ETS to address climate change. Now Gillard looks like a liar, and despite the carbon tax being a much better piece of legislation than the old ETS model, it has hardly any public support because she had previously ruled it out and the Australian public hates being lied to. The Liberal Party opposition has already said they'll tear it up after it get legislated next month when they win at the next election (which is an almost certainty).

The point - democracy doesnt work

If you've gotten to end of this, I thank you !