Deliberation%20is%20the%20soul%20of%20Direct%20Democracy%20(DD)%20The%20design%20of%20the%20Referendum%20process%20determines%20the%20quality%20of%20DD%20-%20well%20designed%20it%20helps%20to%20contribute%20to%20the%20creation%20for%20the%20EU,%20what%20the%20EU%20needs%20most - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Deliberation%20is%20the%20soul%20of%20Direct%20Democracy%20(DD)%20The%20design%20of%20the%20Referendum%20process%20determines%20the%20quality%20of%20DD%20-%20well%20designed%20it%20helps%20to%20contribute%20to%20the%20creation%20for%20the%20EU,%20what%20the%20EU%20needs%20most

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well designed it helps to contribute to the creation for the EU, what the EU needs most ... If 5 nations more (minim.10%), 100'000 sign. Less. Qualification ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Deliberation%20is%20the%20soul%20of%20Direct%20Democracy%20(DD)%20The%20design%20of%20the%20Referendum%20process%20determines%20the%20quality%20of%20DD%20-%20well%20designed%20it%20helps%20to%20contribute%20to%20the%20creation%20for%20the%20EU,%20what%20the%20EU%20needs%20most


1
Deliberation is the soul of Direct Democracy
(DD)The design of the Referendum process
determines the quality of DD - well designed it
helps to contribute to the creation for the EU,
what the EU needs most
  • Introduction for EU-Democracy Experts
  • in Bern , 21st of September 2006
  • by Andreas Gross (Switzerland)
  • Director of the Scientific Institute for Direct
    Democracy in St. Ursanne (JU/CH) and Swiss
    MP/PACE
  • www.andigross.ch info_at_andigross.ch

2
We should overcome the banalisation of the term
Democracy
  • Democracy enables us to be free.
  • Freedom enables us to act together on our common
    life ( Life is not a destiny )
  • Democracy constitutes the rules, rights and
    procedures to prevent conflicts to be solved
    violently
  • Democracy is the only source for legitimate
    power

3
We should overcome the banalisation of the term
Constitution
  • Treaties and Constitutions have different
    potentials
  • A constitution is an agreement between citizens
    how the political system is organised and the
    political power constituted and shared
  • An agreement has to be made by the people
    themselves
  • Freedom means to follow only those rules in
    whichs making processes you participated

4
Representative democracy is an essential part
of Democracy. But it should not have the
monopole of D.
  • Indirect Democracy enables you to vote your
    representatives
  • Direct Democracy enables you to vote on important
    issues you dont want to leave to your
    Representatives

5
Direct Democracy is about people voting on
issues
  • The Right to Vote on important issues
    contributes to the democratization of democracy
    and improves the political culture of a country
  • More substance, more alternatives, more
    differentiation, more deepness, more individual
    knowledge and more social learning
  • The Referendum (Peoples vote) is just the last
    stadium of a long process Decisive is the
    question Who may start the process, where,how?

6
The 3 cornerstones of modern Direct Democracy
  • Secret vote by ballot-box, mail or internet
    No assemblies
  • Some citizens decide when all citizens may
    decide No plesbiscites
  • Issues (const./legisl. Reforms) No personal
    decisions

7
DD is a set of participatorial citizens rights
- much more than just a referendum
  • Const.Referendum
  • Optional legislat. Referendum
  • Const.pop.Initiative
  • Threaty Referendum
  • General/legislat. Initiative
  • Konstruct.Referendum
  • Financial Referendum
  • Citizen Motion (To the Parliament)

8
Which are the basic (principal)products of
Direct Democracys best practices?
  • Individual / collective communicationdeliberatio
    ns
  • Power has to be shared
  • Collective learning potentials
  • political openness et legitimate polity
  • Identification with the DD process ( Democratic
    patriotism )

9
Implication of this intended DD-products for the
DD-Design
  • Shared power - low signrequirement
  • activating citiz - low signrequirement
  • Communication - free sign gathering
  • Deliberation - no antidelib.quorums
  • Cooperation and interaction, no
  • antagonism - you need time / no bypassing of the
    parliament

10
Each level requires a specific DD-Design
  • Communal and regional
  • Most complete DD-Design
  • National level
  • General Initiative /Interface ID-DD/Fairness
    requirem.
  • European level
  • Qualification/ Agenda / Europ.Vote imposing

11
The EU-CT-Process 2002/5 suffered from
design-deficits
  • It was not a Constitution-Making-Process
  • The Convention was handpicked, govern-mental
    orientated and authotarianly ruled
  • It lacked time, transparency, public
    deliberation and participation
  • It was a national reproduction instead of a
    transnational polity creating effort

12
Well designed a transnational European DD
contributes to create what the EU needs most
  • European public spheres
  • Deliberation and collective learning processes
  • Transnational citizen / societal integrations
  • Legitimacy and identification

13
The EU is more than a big nations state
Specific problems for transnational, paneuropean
DD building
  • many people have a size problem in EUD
  • many are already nat and reg frustrated
  • They cant imagine a transnational DD Polity
  • We face a structural transformation challenge
  • and a historical innovation
  • The EU is not yet a real federation with clear
    power sharing procedures
  • The EU is not yet even a parliamentary D
  • Not everybody is a GCC (globally communicate
    citizen)

14
Concrete examples for EU-DD-Rights-Design The
Legislative Initiative
  • 1 Million of of minimally sign.out 5 nations
    with at least 10 each (Passport/ID-Number for
    Identification)
  • If 5 nations more (minim.10), 100000 sign.
    Less
  • Qualification with 50000 sign. Out of at least
    5 states with minim.10

15
The rights you get from the EU-Com after
submission of a Qualification Initiative (QI)
  • Translation Voucher (20 lang./ max signs)
  • Website-Building-Support
  • TrainFlight vouchers for public meetings
  • A Howtodo-Handbook with clear Guidelines
  • Commissions offices in the capitals are supposed
    to support you
  • National papers advertisement voucher
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