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
1Deliberation 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
2We 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
3We 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)
8Which 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 )
9Implication 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
10Each 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
-
11The 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 -
12Well 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
-
13The 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) -
14Concrete 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 -
15The 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
-