RE>Glorantha Digest V3 #159 29/8/96
David Dunham wrote:
I concede your point, but elections are definitely rites. In a democratic society, they are not just a way of picking a Government that involves less bloodshed than occasional coups, they are also a reaffirmation of the society's confidence in itself.
In an Australian context, the ritualistic elements in an election include:
... the Prime Minister driving to Government House to ask the Queen's representative for a dissolution of the House of Representatives.
... the Governor-General's official secretary reading the dissolution proclamation outside Parliament House.
... party workers handing out how to vote cards on election day, and the inevitable cake stalls run by the local church/parents and citizens' association.
... the election night itself, with the tallying of votes, and the concession/victory speeches.
Maybe just turning 18 and being allowed to vote isn't something people brag about. (Although perhaps they should. The ability to select the government is a great privilege. Great empires have crumbled and wars have been fought on the issue)
But elections are certainly one of the great rituals of democratic countries like Australia, the USA, and the UK.
Bill McKinley
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #160
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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