During the debate I made reference to the fundamental differences between the three parties contesting these elections. I said:[quote:2khxaes6]there's a really clear choice in this election
CARE - who have no policies (bar six talking shops with overlapping remits)
Simplicity - who have one policy (keep it simple - nothing wrong with that)
and the CSDF - who have 9 practical policies for the revitalisation of our community
go and check em. you can count them off at teh end of the term
and see which ones we achieved
i hope you will vote for us
i think we have put forward a serious platform for these elections
and we are standing a proven team with a track record of success
once again, we will work constructively with whoever is elected in the best interests of the CDS
thank you[/quote:2khxaes6]I'd like to expand on those points here.
I was really shocked to see the CARE platform when it was announced. All it consists of is 6 commissions each charged with over-lapping remits which it is proposed will last a year, two Representative Assembly terms. This is a recipe for inaction and inertia not citizen involvement and progress. Here's why:
[list:2khxaes6]1. The commissions proposed have confused remits which overlap and will result in duplication of effort. What is the distinction between the Governance, Legislative, Constitutional and Institutional Commissions being proposed? The governance remit says that it will 'rethtink how we elect our officials'. But that involves legislative and constitutional change. It may even have an implication for our institutions, so the issue will have to be discussed by all four! The institutional remit says it will 'review and redefine the role of our various branches of government' but that also brings in issues of governance, legislative and constitutional change. I could go on. The description of these commissions is a mess.
2. The idea of six overlapping commissions, to be held for a whole year, is guaranteed to drive people away, not involve them. The CSDF proposed the idea of Commissions, we are thoroughly committed to them. I chaired the successful Regional Planning Commission earlier this year. Moon and Justice chaired the (fractious and difficult:) ) Judiciary Commission last term. I participated in the Citizenship Commission that Mizou Vavoom made an excellent start with last year. We think they're a good thing. But we don't get people's involvement by drowning them in committees. Most of our citizens did not join the CDS (or SL for that matter) to sit in meetings all day. They have other ambitions they want to realise and the RA should be about helping them to make those dreams a reality; we need an enabling RA. We only have to look at CARE/Michel's misguided attempts to institute this kind of over-the-top, bureaucratic nightmare within his own party to see the folly of the approach. Way back in January, CARE/Michel announced a panoply of 'study groups' and 'taskforces' [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 9:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6], [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 7:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6], [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 5:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6], [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 3:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6], [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 2:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6], [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 1:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6] and [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 5:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6]. What happened to them? Did they ever meet? Why are there no minutes or outputs posted where CARE/Michel said they would be? Because this was too much, too ambitious and the meetings never took place. It's the same problem with the commissions CARE/Michel is proposing as it's 'big idea' for the CDS.[/list:u:2khxaes6]
I will refer briefly to the Simplicity Party. I said they had one policy - keep things simple. That's because, to my knowledge, the SP have not published a manifesto for these elections (this is incorrect, thank you to Beathan for correcting me). We think keeping things simple is fine, but we reject the SPs minimalist, 'hands off' approach. The CSDF is taking the middle path between the totalitarian, intrusive approach of CARE and the extreme libertarian stance of the SP.
We have put forward nine practical policies [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 9:2khxaes6]here[/url:2khxaes6] which we think represent a suitably ambitious programme for the next six months and which will deliver practical benefits to the CDS by improving accessibility, providing the necessary focus on what needs to be done and by recognising the key role the Chancellor, the executive branch has as the branch that 'gets things done'.