[Am-info] Re: Global Resistance at home

[Mitch Stone]

--- From a message sent by felmon davis on 11/7/01 12:46 AM ---

>the Germans have a, what, five party system? (SPD, CDU-CSU, FDP, 
>Greens, PDF in some places, and it depends how you count CSU-CDU 
>(something like a coalition of two parties) and there are various 
>other parties (including DVU - nazis) and 'lists'. 
>
>but some of my German friends also think their government is a 
>disaster.
>
>Americans tend to be pretty trinitarian about all of this thinking 
>mostly in terms of _three_ parties. 
>
>increasing the number of parties isn't a panacea. not that you are 
>saying it is, I know that. but some do get a little carried away with 
>its salvational promise though.
>
>I like the German system in some ways - they didn't understand 
>Florida at all! - but I often find it hard to keep score: you see the 
>FDP sometimes does a coaltion with the SPD, sometimes with the 
>CDU-CSU; the CSU (Bavaria) sometimes goes for the throat of the CDU; 
>the Greens flirted with the CDU (in Frankfurt); everyone tries to 
>keep the DVU (Nazis) and the PDF (former communists) out (esp. in 
>Berlin); one guy made his own party up and now is mayor of Hamburg; 
>you know, that sort of thing.
>
>my eyes cross when I try to think about Israel....

Parliamentary systems provide disproportionate power to small parties, 
encouraging their proliferation. Our system tends to do the opposite. 
What frustrates me is the almost religious devotion many seem to express 
towards their political parties, seeking their opinion on issues before 
discovering the facts and forming an opinion of their own.

 Mitch Stone  
 mitch@accidentalexpert.com