Elector And Member

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28774, 20 December 1958, Page 17

Elector And Member

Sir, —There was a most interesting statement in the report ‘‘Dictatorship in Free Textbooks,” in your edition of December 10. The Rector of Timaru Boys' High School was quoted: “Only the rare intervals when elections occur have the citizens any current control of the politicians. This is not a necessary situation for a democracy. In Switzerland, for example, the body of voters is constantly able to exercise immediate control of its parliamentary body and the inducement for the politician to sway elections by honeyed promises practically disappears.” I am sure there are many who feel that such a control can be very salutory and would welcome information on the circumstances that make such a control possible in Switzerland. Would it be possible to give your readers an outline of the reasons and of the machinery by which this control is effected?—Yours, etc.. JOHN MARTLEY.

December 12, 1958. [Mr M. A. Bull comments on the inquiry about the nature of Swiss democracy: ‘‘The most significant single arrangement is apparently the ‘popular initiative’ whereby a demand on the part of 30,000 electors can obtain an immediate referendum which may veto any proposed piece of legislation, and also may in certain circumstances compel action in a positive sense by the legislature. The local government on a cantonal basis must also have its repercussions much more than our county system has. For information on this topic, it would be difficult to do better than turn to ‘The Rotarian’ of October. 1956. While this article does not give as much detail about the ‘popular initiative’ as your correspondent might like to know, it is the best short article on Swiss government I have seen.”]