3 ms·
freedom of association need not apply to political representatives nor need it be institutionalized. that means, i think it is reasonable to demand that a poli
by em-bee 3y ago
freedom of association need not apply to political representatives nor need it be institutionalized.
that means, i think it is reasonable to demand that a political representative be neutral and not have any associations for which it could be argued that they represent a conflict of interest.
parties influence or even control who gets to stand for election. why should that be the case? anyone should be able to stand for election, regardless of affiliation.
in many countries, parliaments have a concept of requiring that members of parliament vote along their party. that should be illegal, MPs should only vote according their conscience. influencing them should be illegal. lobbying should be illegal.
none of this restricts freedom of association.
- JackFr 3y agoI voluntarily join a club. I get benefits from the club and I have responsibilities to the club. Of course I can eschew those responsibilities and then the club can deny me the benefits or kick me out.
- em-bee 3y agoyes, but when that club demands that you vote a certain way in order for you to remain a member, or when the club is responsible that you were listed as a candidate, then you are dependent on them and no longer a neutral representative of those that elected you. and that is whats wrong with the current system, as it doesn't allow you to vote in ways that are actually in the interest of your constituents.
- Curvature5868 3y agoWe can’t even achieve this in the judiciary. See Federalist Society.
- wingspar 3y ago>> that means, i think it is reasonable to demand that a political representative be neutral and not have any associations for which it could be argued that they represent a conflict of interest.>> This statement directly contradicts your view that ‘none of this restricts freedom is association’ Define ‘demand’. Voters demand, like their opinion is they won’t vote for someone who has associations. Or government demands that candidates have no associations.
- em-bee 3y agowhat i mean is that the right to freedom of association does not protect you from your obligation to avoid a conflict of interest. by rule of law, conflict of interest trumps freedom of association. it restricts your freedom of association only as much the rule of law already does. with demand i mean a potential law that demands that representatives be independent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscience_vote https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscience_vote