I thank you all for indulging this discussion, and I certainly
understand your desire to get back to physics. It has been very
useful to me, since this is a practical issue here, and I hope that
public interest spreads elsewhere. To remain fair and effective,
democracy needs maintenance.
It happens that two of the activists here in BC supporting the BC-STV
are fellow emeriti from my department at Simon Fraser University.
Physicists' interests do alter upon retirement, it seems. I, too, am
very interested in this reform which is badly needed in Canada, a
country in which a minority with a strongly disciplined political
party can maintain an effective dictatorship in power for long enough
that it corrupts beyond what can be tolerated by an informed electorate.
I am proud to be a voter* in British Columbia. The "referendum" that
was held here in May, to which I referred earlier, followed a process
which, while perhaps not unique, was at least unheard of in my
experience. My pride is attributable in large part to that process
which I feel is much to be preferred to revolution, the traditional
process by which dictatorships are overturned. You can read about
this unusual process at http://www.citizensassembly.bc.ca/public/
extra/Whatis.xml . If you do, you will understand why I am proud of
my fellow BC voters.
BC had transferable vote provincial elections in the fifties, but
once a political party gained control, the transferable system was
changed back - by the party that had benefitted from it. It was a
threat to their power, of course.
Back to physics. Anyone know anything interesting about anti-noise
bylaws?
Leigh
*There is no such thing as a citizen of BC, though that term is often
used.
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