Democratic World Government - An Outline Structure----------------------------------------------------------------------------Introduction - problems and benefits of World GovernmentThe idea of world government has not received a good press for many years.It tends to make most of us think of Stalinist dictators and fascistdomination of the globe. I wish to argue, though, that there is a viableform of democratic world government which could bring many benefits.A democratic world government that really worked would lead to a majorincrease in the freedom enjoyed by all people on the planet. It would alsomake more equitable the international balance of power which currently soheavily favours ...view middle of the document...
A preferable system of world government, if such could be invented, wouldmeet all of these objections, as well perhaps as providing a globalframework designed to encourage the democratic possibilities of all nations.Perhaps such a system might look something like the one I shall nowdescribe.New form of World Government - outline structureThe new World Parliament would be a single elected chamber, possibly similarin format to the House of Commons in the UK but with places for up to 1000elected representatives - Members of the World Parliament, or 'MWP's. TheMWPs would be elected from national or supra-national constituencies, oneper so many head of population (but probably with a minimum of at least oneper nation, at least in the early decades [There are approaching 200 nationstates in the world at the moment, with populations ranging from 50,000 - StLucia - to 5,000,000,000 - China. This represents a variance of a factor of100,000, so the disparity in representation could not be toleratedindefinitely. In due course some notion of communal MWPs, shared by smallcountries of reasonably alike culture, would have to be introduced.]). Theywould be subjected to re-election every 5 years. The world governmentenvisaged here would have no army and would require only minimaladministrative support. As a result, its costs would be small. It would notbe allowed to raise any taxes, instead being funded in a similar way to thatin which the United Nations is today, by contributions from thenation-states which make up its membership. Such nation-states wouldcontinue to exist in the new system just as they do now, forming anessential balancing power to that of the world government, and would bewithout significant loss of sovereignty.Membership of the new system which the world government represented would bevoluntary for each nation in the world, just as membership of the UnitedNations currently is [Some democratic nations choose not to join the Unitednations even today, Switzerland being a prime example.]. Becoming a memberwould involve them adding their signature to a world treaty, which decisionwould need to be ratified by the population of the country in a referendum.Only upon so joining the 'club' would a country's people have the right tovote into the world government one or more MWPs, and in turn the worldgovernment would only have the right to instigate actions which related tocountries within its membership. Once in the system a country would be ableto extricate itself only by majority vote of its population in anotherreferendum.The world government's purpose would be to enact laws by normal majorityvoting within its chamber, but laws which were couched in general terms.Because presented in general terms, the laws would permit individualcountries to retain or create their own culturally-based detailed laws andsocial practices as long as these did not conflict with the generalworld-law.The laws, although couched in general terms, would be very real...
