6. Yellow vest movement in France
In this movement, people gathered on street to protest, wearing the yellow vest “as symbol of rallying”[7.3]. As for the vest, Ghislain Coutard called on to use it on 24 October[7.3.1]. A video posted by Jacline Mouraud on Facebook in October “was watched more than 6 million times”[7.3.2].
6.1. Citizens’ initiative referendum claimed in France
In the Yellow vest movement in France, the demonstrators claimed the necessity of the citizens’ initiative referendum — le référendum d’initiative citoyenne (RIC) in French which is one of the major demands in the manifestation. In the context of the demand, the referendums, particularly in Switzerland and Italy were referred[7.4]. According to an article on Le Figaro[7.4.0.5], Italy has “three types of referendums: abrogative, constitutional and territorial”[7.4.1]. In the Switzerland’s case, they have “optional referendum”[7.5] and “federal popular initiative”[7.6]. What the optional referendum is that “Any citizen who has the right to vote, including the Swiss abroad, can launch an optional popular referendum”[8] when they are against the “the decision of Parliament”[8.5]. The organizer of a referendum have to assemble “50,000 signatures”[9] in minimum within “100 days”[10]. If the organizer met this baseline and the signatures were recognized as “valid”[11] by “the Federal Chancellery”[12], optional referendum will be conducted. This is for whether to change decision of the parliament and not to introduce or change federal law as legislative initiative is not available in federal level[12.3]. Next, the federal popular initiative which is for amending the constitution[12.5] can be carried out by “anyone who has the right to vote in Switzerland – including Swiss citizens living abroad”[13]. At least, “100,000 signatures”[14] has to be assembled within “18 months”[15]. In this initiative, there are paths to be taken counter-action[16], but what I want to emphasize here is that Switzerland has political structures to enhance the reflection of the opinions of its citizens.
What is the important point of this type of referendum is that it is obliged to reflect the public opinion after enough votes are calculated — related law for set up the system need to be enforced in advance. In conventional petitions, organizers submit the lists of names to authorities, but since authorities are not forced to take action even if volume of signatures are huge, they can ignore them. However, in this instance, it’s not just assembling the signatures, if they go through proper procedure, it is going to be taken into effect in authorized framework.
7. Voting
In voting for representative or referendum, the system has unequalness.
7.1. Gerrymandering in US
For example, US has a problem of gerrymandering. As Lawrence Lessig explains that the name comes from “Massachusetts governor (and the fifth vice president of the United States) Elbridge Gerry, gerrymandering describes a technique for drawing electoral districts. More Pejoratively, it is a way for politicians to pick the voters rather than the voters picking politicians”[18.9].
8. Deliberation in politics
Deliberation is regarded as important in democracy. To have debate in national scale creates opportunities from politicians and experts to citizens to discuss their ideas. In 2018, France conducted the national grand debate (le grand débat national in French)[19] which had “four themes”: “The ecological transition”, “The taxation and the public expenditure”, “The democracy and the citizenship”, “The organization of the state and the public services”[19.2]. It started on 15 January and its whole schedule ended on “10 April” of “Debate in Senate” during which period “the local meetings” continued to be held to “15 March”[19.5]. This is also a matter of institution we need to build carefully.
9. On structure
If we focus excessively on decision of those in power or the expertise among pundits, it would lead to ignoring citizens. If we move to complete direct democracy, at least at this moment I think it would not work. In order to build society which doesn’t exclude member in the society, there’s necessity to come up with institution which reflects the public as well as the experts who are great at each domain. Thinking about the combination of those two, the better idea than the present is the general will 2.0. In my understanding, Hiroki Azuma proposed the general will 2.0[20] which is the interface of deliberation among pundits and database (subconsciousness of mass)[20.5].
In his argument, he focused on people’s subconsciousness accumulated online as he said that the general will 2.0 “should be perceivable”[22] in contrast to his description that the general will by Jean-Jacque Rousseau “cannot be perceived”[23]. His idea was that the visualized subconsciousness based on data online and deliberation complement each other — “deliberation and database complement each other”[24]. What’s remarkable is that collected and “statistically processed”[24.5] “reaction of audience”[24.6] to deliberation among pundits broadcasted online[25] work in a sense that experts “cannot be so much far from it, and cannot completely ignore”[26]it. The subconsciousness of citizens directs deliberation among experts while expertise of pundits is reflected. This type of structure that is transparent and not closed within limited people might be a way to prevent deliberation from leaning extremely in certain type of opinion. Cass R. Sunstein explains the law of group polarization which “means that members of a deliberating group predictably move toward a more extreme point in the direction indicated by the members’ predeliberation tendencies”[17].
9.1. Politics divided into inside parliament and outside
In my understanding of general will 2.0, it doesn’t divide politics into inside parliament and outside. Emily Maitlis talked with Jeremy Hunt in BBC Newsnight, she mentioned in a part they touched on parliamentary democracy and protesters outside parliament that “if you look at where the action is coming from, […] the actions from people who’ve given up on believing that what happens in parliament will solve or change anything, this is the action of people who think the streets are more helpful than the democracy goes on inside”[27]. Political participation should be diverse than limited. Not just voting in election and referendum, demonstration, and lobbying, with the capability to ventilate inside and outside parliament, diverse political actions would be better to be implemented in society not to separate politics inside from outside parliament.
[7.3] Translated by myself from “comme symbole de ralliement”. Around 0:08- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rCtJugNkfI Accessed 8 January 2020.
[7.3.1] Ibid. Around 0:07-.
[7.3.2] Translated by myself from “a été vue plus de 6 millions de fois”. In the original phrase in the video, “6 millions de fois” is put emphasis. Around 0:06-. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XDXfwbfViI Accessed 8 January 2020.
[7.4] For example, an article on Le Figaro refers to Switzerland and Italy. https://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/politique/2018/12/12/31001-20181212ARTFIG00250–en-italie-le-referendum-d-initiative-populaire-retablit-l-equilibre-des-pouvoirs.php Published and last updated on 13 December 2018. Accessed 7 January 2020.
[7.4.0.5] Ibid.
[7.4.1] Ibid. Translated by myself from “trois types de référendums: abrogatif, constitutionnel et territorial”.
[7.5] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/referendum/how-to-launch-an-optional-referendum-at-federal-level/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[7.6] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/popular-initiative/how-to-launch-a-federal-popular-initiative/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[8] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/referendum/how-to-launch-an-optional-referendum-at-federal-level/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[8.5] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/referendum/mandatory-referendums-and-optional-referendums-in-switzerlan/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[9] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/referendum/how-to-launch-an-optional-referendum-at-federal-level/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[12.3] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/popular-initiative/what-is-a-federal-popular-initiative/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[12.5] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/popular-initiative/what-is-a-federal-popular-initiative/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[13] https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/popular-initiative/how-to-launch-a-federal-popular-initiative/ Accessed 27 November 2019.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] There are two ways to take counter-action for the initiative: the direct counter-proposal and the indirect counter-proposal are explained in the following website. https://www.ch.ch/en/demokratie/political-rights/popular-initiative/what-is-a-direct-counter-proposal-or-an-indirect-counter-pro Accessed 27 November 2019.
[17] Sunstein, C. R. (2019). How change happens. The MIT Press. p.19.
[18] Ibid. p.22. Other examples are shown as well on p.21-22.
[18.9] Lessig, L. (2019). They Don’t Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy. DEY ST. p.20.
[19] The website of the grand national debate at https://granddebat.fr/ Accessed 28 November 2019.
[19.2] “Les quatre thèmes du Grand Débat National” available at https://granddebat.fr/ Accessed 8 January 2020.[19.5] “Agenda” available at https://granddebat.fr/ Accessed 8 January 2020.
[20] Azuma, H. (2015). 一般意志2.0—ルソー、フロイト、グーグル. 講談社文庫.
[20.5] Azuma, H. (2017). Genron 0: A philosophy of the Tourist. pp.253-254.
[22] Ibid. p.101, translated by myself from “知覚することができるはずだ”.
[23] Ibid. p.101.
[24] Ibid. at least p.195.
[24.5] Ibid. p197.
[24.6] Ibid.
[25] Ibid. p.196-197.
[26] Ibid. p175.
[27] BBC Newsnight. UK election: ‘It is essential we implement the referendum result’ – BBC Newsnight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bOv2QRCA2Y The remark of Emily Maitlis cited begins around 6:31-. Posted on 19 November 2019. Accessed 11 January 2020.
L'histoire de mes pensées 