Project Open Democracy
It's time!
“Whatever the problem – cost-of-living, inequality, energy poverty, violence against women, abortion, drug addiction, social conflict and alienation, and the return of the horrors of war – all can be traced back to the failure of representative democracy.”
There is a growing perception that democracies (and constitutional republics) are faltering and failing as the best form of human organization, as evidenced by the dysfunction in the lead up to the US presidential election, including two attempted assassinations of a former president.
Democracy isn’t failing but representative democracy, like the old taxi industry, no longer works in a complex, interconnected and polarized world.
The answer to the sclerotic taxi industry was not better managers and more regulation but a revolution in the form of ride sharing.
Similarly, the answer to the failing and hidebound representative democracy is not better candidates, but a revolution in the form of open democracy.
Whatever the problem – cost-of-living, inequality, energy poverty, violence against women, abortion, drug addiction, social conflict and alienation, including the return of the horrors of war – all can be traced back to the failure of representative democracy.
We now have both the concept and the technology to transition from representative democracy, no matter how it is constituted, to open democracy underpinned by a common vision, and begin to address the myriad of social, economic and political problems besetting the modern world.
Importantly, we now have a way to marshall global opinion to end all war and conflict through the PByT concept of verifiable and analyzable feedback. This will prevent politicians from waging war or supporting war efforts by claiming false mandates or by quoting black box polls.
Open democracy is about giving people a greater say in how they are governed, not just at election time or the occasional plebiscite or referendum, but on an ongoing, issue-by-issue basis and on a global scale.
Rather than replacing representative democracy, open democracy aims to bring representative democracy (and constitutional republics like in the US) into the information age, united in purpose through a common vision.
Open Democracy, unlike direct democracy, is non-binding and provides the mechanism by which elected officials can better understand the will of the people before legislating policy or taking extreme action like going to war.
Having a common vision will end the the politics of division (POD) and stymie its practitioners (the PODsters), who use it to attain power, garner attention, grow influence or to spread fear, anger and hatred.
A common vision affirms that, ultimately, we all want the same thing: to live and prosper in peace and to leave a better world behind for the next generation.
This universal goal and human longing is summarized in The Freedom Declaration for Peace.
THE FREEDOM DECLARATION FOR PEACE
The Freedom Declaration for Peace consists of 25 short statements that affirm our shared humanity and reflects the lived human experience over the ages.
As such, the declaration, provides the basis for civil discussion by groups and individuals with opposing viewpoints without descending into rancor, hate or violence.
The concept and technology is provided by Sydney-based online service called PByT, which stands for Powered by Trust.
PByT brings credibility to online surveys, polls and petitions through non-anonymous feedback, analyzable results, underpinned by Bayesian analysis to arrive at optimal answers and solutions through an iterative process.
The traditional survey is a snapshot of opinion at a particular point in time. The PByT approach aligns more with human decision-making, which is through an iterative process based on updated knowledge.
In short, we now have the concept and technology to begin to address both local and global challenges, united in purpose through a common vision and empowered by technology to arrive at truly considered answers and solutions to some of the most pressing issues confronting the modern world.
Politicians should welcome open democracy because it takes the pressure off them when it comes to controversial issues because they can point out, quite rightly, that they are simply deferring (or will defer) to the will of the people.
Giving people an opportunity to express their views and opinions and to actively participate in the decision-making process will stem the anger and the hatred that is often unfairly directed at politicians. It will also limit the influence of the peddlers of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy.
Australian Federal Election 2025
While the politicians will focus on the issues that will give them an electoral advantage - the question that may well decide the election is whether they support giving people a greater say in how they are governed through open democracy.
Politicians deferring controversial questions to the will of the people will create a precedent for resolving other pressing issues like ending all war and conflict, including finally bringing peace to the Middle East and ending the war in Ukraine.
Show your support for open democracy by joining PByT and giving feedback on the issues raised on the site.
Related Videos & Campaigns
Who do you believe is best placed to unite an increasingly divided Australia through Open Democracy, underpinned by a common vision - Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton?
Democracy is failing!
Discover the TWO key reasons why it is failing and how there is almost a conspiracy of silence about these reasons.
And also discover the solution - Open Democracy.