Friday, July 31, 2009

Technocracy- Critique

Today I would like to deal with the very last point regarding Technocracy and then leave the issue until someone specifically requests that any point needs better explanation or a better discussion. This last point is dedicated to the raised concerns and critique:

Would the proposed Technocracy lead to the end of the PR system?
No. The system of parties trying to get majorities in the Dáil is ,I think, similar what is really happening right now. I would hope that the system I am proposing would ensure that the TDs would do more work in Dáil to work for their electorate, as right now we hear the excuse of 'Unfortunately it wasn't the government's policy' or 'I was busy trying to get the government out of the office'.
I suppose this would lead to a model of the EP with regards to independents being voted in and then forming a political group together in the Dáil, however don't take this suggestion seriously as it is simply my own personal opinion or forecast.

Who exactly defines "expert"?
That is a very good question and the answer is very simple- the people we vote in. The TDs that are directly elected by the electorate must nominate a Taoiseach and give his/her cabinet a mandate. This means that the definition of an 'expert' would be decided pretty much by the Dáil majority. However, to ensure this isn't mishandled, I would envisage the definition of an 'expert' I've already included in the post about the Taoiseach, would be put into the legislation.

Will the experts be truly apolitical?
Its a fair point to say that they will be not be truly political, true. I think the point of this is to have people who know what they're doing as the cabinet, as opposed to people who, during one term are minister for foreign affairs, then in the next term they switch to finance and in the next to say agriculture and that's all because they really don't know much about these fields. The reason why they would be apolitical is when they introduce a bill that might not necessary be supported by the coalition that elected them in. this would mean the ministers would have to try and persuade the Dáil to support his/her views, giver arguments, facts, and this would open up a debate. also the government would only be bound to the coalition in the Dáil by its program, so it could introduce a bill that will be, in its opinion, beneficial to Ireland, but not supported by the coalition that got them in power but still not in conflict with its program. yet again this would offer greater room for debate and could make the governance of the country not one-sided, as would be the case if politicians would be in the cabinet, I think.

That concludes the series of post about Technocracy. I will now hide away and read through tons of material to support my point and come back after the weekend to start a series of posts about another of Breakthrough's policies.

No comments:

Post a Comment