It is one thing to say that council should set aside any personal biases but how can you be sure this will actually happen? John Dolman's suggestions (Gazette, May 24) fly in the face of what governments everywhere are subject to: lobbying. The U.S. Congress, the legislative body of the most powerful country in the world, is constantly lobbied, much to the detriment of democracy, and there is no reason to believe this is in any way unusual except in size.
It is a little elitist, high-handed and simply wrong to assume “... the voting public … did not understand the implications of the choice they were making …” regarding the Brexit referendum.
The public now has access to more information than ever before and they certainly know when they are not well off. But Mr. Dolman believes this is an example of a vote based on “propaganda, emotion and self-interest.” I can't speak for the first two but surely “self-interest” is not unusual or innately immoral in citizens’ choices? The EU, EEC ECB combination is anything but democratic and makes decisions without input from the nations that comprise the EU, even when those nations are wildly disparate in populations and GDP. Of what benefit was it to Greece, now virtually destroyed?
There are some jurisdictions where no major projects can be entered upon without a plebiscite. But the idea that voting for someone means you must go along with whatever they propose is something out of the dark ages and ancient god-appointed monarchies.
No one is claiming council and mayor are not knowledgeable or ethical, but that isn't exactly the point. Their decisions must be backed up by the consent of the citizenry just to be sure they are in fact democratic.
Doris Wrench Eisner, St. Albert
