Economy
Party politics in danger of becoming a tyranny of a minority
IT is in the interests of democracy to have free or conscience-voting on moral issues such as same-sex marriage.
In Westminster parliaments, party discipline is essential to stable government and is justified for money bills and delivering on the election mandate of the governing party.
Party discipline is a relevantly recent phenomenon in Westminster democracy.
Free-voting according to one’s conscience continues to be common in the United States Congress because the executive is separated from the legislature.
The US President is the chief executive and appoints the cabinet from outside Congress.
By appointing our cabinet from within the parliament, Westminster government fuses the executive and legislature thereby making party discipline essential to the functioning of government.
Party discipline developed when organised labour carried the “united we stand, divided we fall” philosophy into the parliament.
Confronted by a disciplined opposition, non-labour groupings set aside minor differences to present a simple choice to the electorate.
British Whigs joined Tories to form the Conservative Party. Australian free-traders joined protectionists to form the National Union and later the United Australia Party.
Today the Liberal Party carries the flag of individual freedom that should distinguish it from the socialist party of the collective.
Dissent and free speech is forbidden to parliamentarians and now extends to the parties’ organisational members.
Floor-crossing in the Liberal Party was common practice until relatively recent times.
Bruce Goodluck and Michael Hodgman relished floor-crossing — if not always in practice, then at least in frequently threatening to breach party discipline.
In recent times the conservative Right has imposed its discipline on the whole party.
The party of liberty has now joined Labor to be ruled by advisers and numbers men with a greater focus on power and the media cycle than on philosophy and policy.
Dissent and free speech is forbidden to parliamentarians and now extends to the parties’ organisational members.
In early 1800, French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out that minorities as well as majorities can tyrannise.
Some parties practice factional discipline where a party governs with 13 of 25 parliamentary seats the entire parliament can be controlled by four members of a dominant faction who impose their will on the other three.
The seven then impose their will on the other six.
With 13 members, the government can turn the will of just four members into law even though 21 of the people’s 25 representatives are opposed.
That is a tyranny of a minority.
Division may be death but diversity is life, liberty and progress.
In 1809 founding father and US President Thomas Jefferson said: “A minority dictating to a majority is no longer democracy … because the rule of the majority is essential to keeping the governed happy.”
To maintain stable government and keep faith with the electors the members of the governing party should support the budget and the electoral mandate.
However, in the interests of democracy, party discipline should stop there.
Division may be death but diversity is life, liberty and progress.
Real liberals would have no interest in forcing the victimless social or moral issues of a particular religion or ideology upon non-adherents.
Free voting on moral issues actually aligns with Christian ethics.
The power to compel (the sword) is given to the state to protect its citizens. Religion has the power of moral persuasion (the word).
It is an abuse of power for the state to force morality on non-adherents of a faith whether it is Christian, Muslim or whatever chosen creed.
As members of the party of individual liberty, federal Liberal members should follow their conscience on moral issues like same-sex marriage.
MLC Tony Mulder is independent member for Rumney. He retired in 2010 as Tasmania Police Counter Terrorism Commander and has a degree in political science and government from the University of Tasmania.