Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Dead Politicians

Cure corruption in politics
  (+2, -8)(+2, -8)
(+2, -8)
  [vote for,
against]

In order to remove the stench of corruption from politics, before you can hold political office you must have faked your own death and given up all links to you family, friends and business associates.

You'll live in a barracks with the other politicians and have your life strictly monitored to ensure you are being impartial and not being deliberatly influenced by anyone.

Could be applied to politicians everywhere.

(Authors Note: Please can the phyco's not work their magic and turn this into a gun debate like they do with all other political suggestions. Thanks.)

CasaLoco, Jan 28 2002

The Web Site That Tells Where the Dead Politicians are Buried http://politicalgraveyard.com/
81,279 Politicians, Judges, Diplomats. Where they were born, lived, died, were buried. [LoriZ, Feb 03 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

An Example of How Political Ideas Don't Work http://www.halfbake...ll_20The_20Truth_3f
Although partly bad due to the idea itself, also a testament to the fact that we cannnot (il)logically do anyting to fix the shit condition beurocracies in today's world. [NeverDie, Feb 03 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

[link]






       Who polices those monitoring our unpoluted oligarchy? And how do they gather experience of the society they are governing?   

       (and what's a phyco?)
mcscotland, Jan 28 2002
  

       And what does 'unpoluted' mean? (Nyah, nyah.)
angel, Jan 28 2002
  

       But if we subjugate the government, who's going to subjugate us?
mighty_cheese, Jan 28 2002
  

       As you can imagine, I *want* my politians to be influenced... by me. Isolating them from me isolates them from my needs, probably without isolating them from the influence of large corporations.
phoenix, Jan 28 2002
  

       They are like badly behaved children when they get togther in the commons as it is. Barracking them together will just make them worse. It's bad enough seeing them make fools of themselves without taking away their only connections to reality!
The_Englishman_Abroad, Jan 28 2002
  

       angel: Its a Scottish spelling of "unpolluted". Honest.   

       (anyone think I will get away with that?)
mcscotland, Jan 28 2002
  

       you should have said that it's the metric spelling. that would have been more believable.
mihali, Jan 28 2002
  

       In UK there is an MP (Martin Bell) who is anti-sleaze, anti corruption and wears a white suit to symbolise this. Perhaps all corrupt MPs should wear dark suits and all the good MPs wear light ones like in the old American films
po, Jan 28 2002
  

       A)It would take less to bribe a politician - are the security guys to watch them when they go to the toilet wherever they may be?
Who would WANT to be a politician?
thumbwax, Jan 28 2002
  

       The British House of Commons had a woman called Elizabeth Filkin as their Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. Her job was to monitor MPs and check they were impartial. Despite her modest powers, the Members of Parliament decided they didn't like her, and gave her the sack.
pottedstu, Jan 28 2002
  

       The people who ran the barracks would have a lot of influence, believe me. The BBC repeated the Stanford Experiment where American students played the roles of warders and prisioners and for a second time it was stopped early. This time an independent ethical board acted to stop it after 9 days because of the risk for the UK students playing the prisoners.
Aristotle, Jan 28 2002
  

       omigod, I think this is the worst idea ever. Can you imagine it! Think of political parties that already live in their own world outside of reality and multiply their tunnel vision by 10. Truly Horrible!
notripe, Jan 28 2002
  

       pots, whistles, black, cough, kettles, ahem
po, Jan 28 2002
  

       [Thumbwax] - In my opinion wanting to be a politician should automatically exclude you from being one....   

       However, the theory wasn't to prevent them from being influenced by outside event, it was that if they have given up their past and ALL business interest they would make decisions based on what is best for the country, not what is best for their busniess interests, NOR what will best further their political career.   

       A good example would be George Bush pulling out of the Kyoto treaty.... (it was almost the first thing he did on taking office) the treaty would have cost him and his family/close friends millions, maybe even billions,, as they were all so deeply involved in the oil industry! Had he been forced to sever all ties to his family, friends and business forever BEFORE taking office, doubtless he would not have pulled out of the treaty.   

       A similar thing *appears* to have happened in the UK the Andersen consulting thing.... soon after the Labour Government (tony Blair etc) took power they settled the £200m court case with Andersen (The case about DeLorean cars) for £22m. Why did they do this? Rumours are that some Labour ministers have close links with Andersen!!!
CasaLoco, Jan 31 2002
  

       Actually, I rather like this idea. I tend to think if someone has decided to enter politics it shouldn't just be because they *want* to; it should be something deeper than that. Politics is one of those jobs that should be vocations rather than just professions - like medicine, teaching or the priesthood. If they really think they're up to it, let's see them put their Old Boy ties (literal and metaphorical) behind them, and show the same sort of commitment it takes to get through boot camp or seminary. Considering that here is the UK they still largely graduate straight into politics from Oxbridge's cloistered halls of debating society rhetoric or other equally *grounded* environments (because standing outside the student union flogging the latest issue of LIving Marxism is so much better, isn't it?), I can't see how this would make them any _more_ divorced from reality. Might even mean some of those common punters who'd otherwise ditch their old lives to join the Foreign Legion might be more likely to sign up to do their duty in Westminster instead. They might be a little ruthless and mercenary - so no change there - but at least they wouldn't be pompous, over-privileged jackasses who think it's all just a jolly game. Just a little bit more 'Captain Nemo' than your average joe would be entirely comfortable with, I suppose. Croissant from me, anyway.
Guy Fox, Jan 31 2002
  

       //Politics is one of those jobs that should be vocations rather than just professions - like medicine, teaching or the priesthood.//   

       And yet,[Guy Fox] here in the US, the demand during the last two decades has been for "term-limits", for the specific purpose of discouraging professional politicians, thus disabling the methods which monied corporate interests are able to influence policy and legislation. The idea is that the "Non-Professional" politician carries less baggage, and therefore is a better representative of his constituency's interests. Response? (Actually, I've read your last annotation twice, and I'm getting mixed messages: I really can't decide if you do or don't want professional politicians.) Perhaps you want Napoleons? (another half-bakery custard confection)
jurist, Feb 01 2002
  

       Perhaps if all politicians were required to perform their duties barefoot clad in a sheet up on a mountain top. The top politicians could get different coloured sheets.
pottedstu, Feb 01 2002
  

       CasaLoco, I feel obligated to warn you about political ideas on the halfbakery (and anywere else for that matter). Bitch not about the government unless you wish to be bitched at. The link to my idea is one example, and there was another I deleted.   

       Admit it. The governments are the best they are going to get by all mesures of logic. True, they SHOULD be better (the U.S. to be specific) but it is time we cynics just turned out the lights and just went to bed. Maybe we will wake up in the morning. Maybe not. Either way it won't make a difference, so stop trying.
NeverDie, Feb 03 2002
  

       Well put NeverDie.
whatastrangeperson, Jan 01 2004
  
      
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