Imagine No Political Parties – A Proposal for Change (Dr. Charles I. Lugosi)

The Problem

Political parties are professional organizations that are in a relationship with those who financially support their existence. Once elected, the party in power enacts laws that benefit their supporters. All political parties have their own set of rules and in accordance with those rules, and take a position on issues that form that party’s political agenda. These parties focus on attaining power and, once in power, focus on retaining that power.

The basic rule of political parties is to gain the voting support of the majority who vote to attain political power and become the government. This is called democracy, or put another way, the rule of the majority. Unfortunately, the inherent defect in this process is the temptation to ignore, or even to unfairly treat, minority voters or those human beings who have no voice or vote at all. When the winning political party becomes the government it enacts law that is either the expression of the rule of law or rule by law.

I define the rule of law as government by laws that people are willing to obey because there is a general consensus that the laws are inherently just. The ideal of the rule of law is to live in a democratic society that places constitutional limits on the power of government, permanently protects inalienable human rights and fundamental freedoms from undue encroachment, and provides equality before laws administered by an independent judiciary. This is the opposite of rule by law, which is government by unjust laws, where the government may exercise arbitrary powers and may abridge at will, by majority vote, inalienable human rights and remove from constitutional protection the inalienable civil rights of any human being.

Justice is the defining characteristic in a society governed by the rule of law. Deferential coerced obedience is the defining characteristic in a rule by law society. Without a moral component consistent with natural law, there can be no rule of law. Law with morality is foundational to the upholding of truth and justice. Respect for every human being as a person means that human beings are paramount to the government. The government exists for the benefit of every human being; human beings deserve dignity and respect from the government.

Elected representatives are often forced to vote along party lines to support the majority interests within their own party, as freedom of conscience, a basic constitutional right guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is overridden by the enforcer, the party whip. It is a rare occasion when the leader of any political party permits a free vote.

Solution

In my opinion, it is long overdue for the Ontario Legislative Assembly to return to its fundamental roots. We need statesmen, men and women of integrity who are independent of party doctrines and policies, who fearlessly and fairly represent both minority and majority views in their constituency. Professional politicians are not wanted.

In this era of the Internet and mass media, there is opportunity for anyone to run for public office as an independent with clear positions on issues that the voters can either accept or reject. Freedom from political parties means freedom of conscience and freedom from obligations to lobbyists and those who financially support elected representatives.

Political parties need to be eliminated, for they are detrimental to representative democracy based upon one vote upon freedom of conscience. Issues that need resolution must not be classified as a matter of the left or right, but simply as matters that can be resolved by asking what can we all agree upon in a society that values equality, fairness, justice, family, children, life, liberty, and minorities over the individual or corporate pursuit of wealth, selfishness, exploitation, power, and ego. Political parties undermine the rule of law and substitute a form of rule by law that people instinctively reject. Prime recent examples are the recent decisions by Ontario’s governing party to use Bill 115 to force a collective agreement with public school teachers, and the dissolution of the legislature that effectively silenced debate about allegations of scandal and government mismanagement.

The first step is the abolition of taxpayer-funded subsidies of political parties and the elimination of political parties.

Application

This non-partisan movement can begin right here in Brant County. New ideas ought to be shared and debated in the public forum. For this reason, I am posting my ideas for change, and encourage any candidate to adopt my ideas to make this world a better place.

I am encouraged by the quality of the candidates that have so far announced their intention to run in the next provincial election. I may be biased in my admiration of both Phil Gillies and Dave Levac, as I know them personally and respect both of them.

But both candidates are loyal members of established political parties. This means that some of my ideas for change will be rejected by their respective political parties, even if privately Dave or Phil agree with me. Voters sometimes say, right person, wrong party. Why not say right person, right ideas?

Ontario is poised to elect another minority government. There is no better time to begin the transition to government by independent free thinkers who are not bound to political ideology.