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Glad that parliament sees the need for rigorous democratic legitimacy for euthanasia legislation.
BUT we must get past the idea that referendums are the gold standard for democratic decision-making.
THREAD... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/13/new-zealand-to-vote-in-referendum-on-euthanasia-cannabis?CMP=share_btn_tw
BUT we must get past the idea that referendums are the gold standard for democratic decision-making.
THREAD... https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/13/new-zealand-to-vote-in-referendum-on-euthanasia-cannabis?CMP=share_btn_tw
Many of us will have strong views on the issue, but these views will not have been formed through a rigorous consideration of the evidence and arguments for and against the specific provisions on the bill.
Some will have only partially formed views on the issue, but the referendum will elicit a yes/no response and give this equal weight to all other votes
A small minority will have very well-developed thinking on the issue and have come to specific positions on what the law should be, but these individuals are forced into a binary yes/no to a predetermined piece of legislation.
The law will disproportionately affect some sections of the population, notably the elderly and those already poorly served under existing medical system incl. tangata whenua. The referendum does not give priority to their interests.
We cannot assume the period of public dicussion and deliberation leading up to the vote will track in the direction of more informed decision-making. Deliberation via mass media is tainted by a large number of distorting effects, even before we consider deliberate misinformation
In sum, we need to look to more rigorous democratic processes in cases such as these, processes that enable deep engagement and are safeguarded from illegitimate power and misinformation.
Another lost opportunity for #nzpol to make use of the #democraticinnovations now common abroad.
#deliberativedemocracy
#delibdem
#deliberativedemocracy
#delibdem
