REPRESENTATION

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4220, 6 December 1939, Page 2

REPRESENTATION

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT AT WORK. “What matters is not that the final decision of government should be assented to by everyone, but that everyone should have somehow made his contribution to that decision. There cannot possibly be one enormous discussion, but there may be smaller areas of discussion, and the result of these may be conveyed by the representative to a further discussion, and so on. If we examine the means by which non - political democratic societies which have grown beyond the area of a discussion group try to keep the society democratic, we find the process of representation at its best. A comparatively large voluntary society, with a membership running into thousands, can keep the real spirit of democracy provided that its primary units of discussion its branches or lodges—are vigorous and alive. If that condition is fulfilled, representatives of branches may then meet by districts for common discussion, and representatives of district meetings may meet for discussion at the General Council of the whole society.”—“The Master of Balliol.”