Chapter 2.3.

Chapter 2: Idea of the Commons' Convention

2.3. Differences between a Commons' Convention and a parliament

Although there are many things in common between a Commons' Convention and a parliament, there are many more differences. Therefore, in order to clarify the actual image of a Commons' Convention, which are still not widely understood, I would like to summarize the differences between them.

First, as is well known, a parliament is a representative body composed of directly elected members, while a Commons' Convention is a representative body composed of members selected from among those whose eligibility has been certified by a license or other means.

Furthermore, a parliament is usually positioned as a legislative body involved in enacting laws. This is based on the so-called theory of separation of powers, which recognizes parliament as the branch responsible for legislative power. In this respect, it is common that the central function of popular assemblies is legislation.

However, a Commons' Convention is not just a legislative organ, but an organ that controls all powers including legislation. In other words, it does not rely on the theory of separation of powers. In this respect, there is a risk that it may give the image of a dictatorship, but being an all-powerful organ does not necessarily mean that it is a dictatorial organ; rather, it is the ultimate manifestation of democracy, in which the Commons'representative body controls all public power, from the legislative to the executive and judicial.

Although the theory of separation of powers is particularly significant in democratizing a monarchy in which all power is concentrated in the executive, the resulting limitation of representative bodies to the legislative body dilutes the democratic foundation of the executive and judiciary. In contrast, the Commons' Convention can democratize power in general by taking control not only of the legislature but also of the executive and judiciary.

By the way, Switzerland has a unique system called parliamentary governance, in which the parliament also controls the executive branch. In other words, the Swiss executive branch is organized as a council elected by the parliament, but the judiciary is separate. In this respect, a Commons' Convention is going even further in that it also controls the judiciary.

In this respect, it is similar to the case in the United Kingdom, where the supreme judicial power belonged to the upper house of parliament (House of Lords) before the establishment of the Supreme Court system through recent judicial reforms. But the judiciary under the Commons' Convention is more democratic compared to the undemocratic nature of the judicial functions of House of Lords, a legacy of the aristocratic class system era.

To summarize the above, a Commons' Convention is similar to a parliament insofar as it has legislative power, but it is a comprehensive representative body that is more than a mere legislative body in that it is not based on a separation of powers system and oversees all the powers.

👉The papers published on this blog are meant to expand upon my On Communism.

Chapter 2.2.

Chapter 2: Idea of the Commons' Convention

2.2. Semi-direct representative system

I stated that the Commons' Convention system, which is rooted in Commons' sovereignty, is structured through a system of "semi-direct representative system." The term "direct" is usually used in the case of direct democracy, where the people participate directly in political decision-making without representatives. The current political common sense would be that it is a contradiction in terms to apply this term to representative systems.

Indeed, in a parliamentary system with elected members, members are engaged in political decision-making after being entrusted with representation by the general electorate through a vote. Such intermediary nature is regarded as a symbol of indirect democracy, since members are engaged in political decision-making after being entrusted with representation by the general electorate through voting. And political common sense, which regards the parliamentary system as a synonym for representation, leads us to believe that representation is by its very nature indirect.

But let us change our thinking. Even in a representative system, it is possible to have a system in which the general public can participate as delegates without being elected. If there is no election, it is possible to have an appointment system by a separate body, but the appointed representative body would become a de facto subordinate body to the appointing body and would no longer be democratic.　

Therefore, a system in which delegates are selected by lot drawing would be more democratic. Although a lottery may seem like an easy method, it is a much more "direct" system than an electoral system in the sense that, unlike elections, which are ultimately determined by financial resources, anyone who is willing to participate in politics can become a delegate, even if he or she has no financial resources.

Nevertheless, the hesitancy to introduce a lottery system is probably due to the fear that it would make it easier for those with questionable qualifications to win, since their selection would be dependent on chance. However, this is a matter of degree, since the election process does not involve a rigorous pre-screening of eligibility, and elected representatives are often called into question as to their "qualifications."

However, in order to ensure that qualifications are guaranteed, it is assumed that either the application conditions for the lottery are strictly narrowed down or that delegates are licensed and then drawn from among those who have been licensed after passing a certain examination. The former of these methods may lead to elite rule, depending on the conditions set, and the latter, a licensing system, is recommended as a more democratic method.

Thus, a system in which the general public becomes a delegate by lottery and is directly involved in political decision-making without an election can be called a semi-direct representative system, even if it is not "direct" participation by all members, and a representative body constituted based on such a system is the Commons' Convention.

👉The papers published on this blog are meant to expand upon my On Communism.