Complaint Culture weaponised by tiny Minorities

That dance on the noses of the silent majority. It is much too easy to 'complain', just a click on the phone or internet, and voila, the 'complaint' is posted and some jobsworth in an unelected agency is obliged to treat it with utmost seriousness. The number of complainers is in no proportion to the total list of citizens, sometimes ONE (!!) complaint is sufficient to get attention by equally woke media desperate for anything that helps to fill the pages of their newspapers or broadcast time on radio, TV or webpages.

Air Taxis to take off? - what about the Noise?

Another nuisance is about to be foisted upon the ordinary citizen. Wonky politicians and business people seem to get all exited about the idea of Air Taxis zooming around above our heads. Basically their are a new version of helicopters that are already (ab)used by the SuperRich. Has anyone in authority asked the citizens affected about their views? Noise pollution will rise for sure, and who sets a limit on their use?

Wind Turbines near you? - Direct Democracy gives you the ultimate say

Plastering the countryside with Wind Turbines may be profitable to land owners and the companies that put them up. But preserving the natural beauty of the countryside which existed for Millenia seems to have fallen by the wayside in the obsession about Climate Change. So DD would give those affected, i.e. all those living in the area from where the turbines can be seen, the ultimate say on whether or not they are allowed to be constructed.

Ex-politicians cashing in on their connections?

Ministers should be banned from lobbying for up to five years after leaving office and face possible fines if they break the rules, the anti-corruption watchdog will say this week. Lord Evans, chairman of the committee on standards in public life (The Times, Paywall).

Good idea but Direct Democracy would put another safeguard into place as all political decisions would be subject to an automatic or facultative referendum.

G7 - a very undemocratic Club

Italy's Draghi - not elected, EU's van der Leyen - not elected, Joe Biden - highly controversial election, Boris Johnson - rules with minority of public vote

The modern State eats your Lunch

Plans to increase the already office of the German Chancellors by spending €600 millions demonstrates that policiticans and the state they run has grown massively overweight. The office space there is already a multiple of the space occupied by the White House!

Election Promises forgotten?

Direct Democracy prevents the abuse that election promises are forgotten the moment the elections have taken place. It will force parties and politicians to stand by their policies during the election campaign and afterwards.
DD will allow citizens to organise support for any policy that is discarded by the political establishment in the form of a referendum.

Macron demands Brexit Deal to be translated into French

Just when you thought that our lamentable political 'Leaders' could not behave in a more pathetic manner this headline hits the press today. Maybe the Mini Napoleon wants the draft to be translated into all the languages that are spoken in the rump EU, only then it would not look like a chauvinist demand. 

Macron demands Brexit trade agreement is translated into French

US Supreme Court Appointment Farce

Not a comment on the pending appointment of another Judge. The procedure itself is highly defective. A waver-thin majority in one of the two chambers of Parliament should not be able to push through a candidate. For critical appointments there should be a mandatory quorum of at least 60 or 66 percent, maybe even 75 percent so that opposing political groupings have to come to a compromise.
Individual judges should also be forced to resign within a reasonable time period so as to avoid that relatively young appointees cannot stay 40 years or longer in office.

Future looks bleak for Universities

The Wuhan Virus will not only accelerate the trend to (at least partial) home-working, it will also shake up the sleepy world of our Universities. If more and more lectures are delivered digitally there will ultimately be a need for fewer professors and other teaching staff. One can take the example of Economics. Depending on the size of the country there may be a few dozen or hundred professors essentially teaching an identical curriculum. Now we all know from experience that not all - or maybe only a few - of them are equally gifted speakers. But will they now all deliver their lectures digitally? Would students not gravitate to the most exciting, most interesting, most highly rated handful of professors teaching the subject IN THE WHOLD WORLD?
Even the basic acquisition in subjects that require hands-on training (Medicine, Engineering etc) can be done remotely which means probably nearly half the curriculum. This implies a DRASTIC  shrinkage in the number of teaching (and supporting) staff required in all universities, and result in vast amount of surplus Real Estate as well.