Introduction
Ruralbark
Photon
Ten Steps Creek
Blyton
Druin
Broken Boot
Seaport

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Broken Boot | No-one typifies the Australists' zest for democracy than the people of the fully participative representational democracy of Broken Boot.

It starts out simple - one shoe, one vote, two shoes, two votes, three shoes, three votes and so on. But that's just the beginning...

Each shoeholder has a vote in their street's Canton. These cantons each have a place on the Citizens' Council and decide on the Agenda for the Tableau - Broken Boot's local pub and parliament, every shoe holder in Broken Hill is automatically a member of the Tableau.

Every agenda item must be passed by a two-third's majority unless it is vetoed by 50% of the People's Cantons. In this case the Citizens Council must meet within 28 days and present a new resolution to the Tableau and this can only happen twice before the motion is automatically defeated.

It sounds complicated and it is. About the only simple thing about all this is how the good burghers of Broken Boot vote: by banging their shoes on the Tableau's counter.

A town like this would pique anybody's curiousity. We decide to talk to some of the residents.

The first local we encountered was a grumpy systems analyst, who looked for all the world like an hick of a farmer. What a wily old curmudgeon he was.

RENFREW Excuse me sir, have you ever heard of Imelda Marcos? HANK Of course I have. What, you think we live in a hole here, or what? RENFREW And what do you think of her? HANK What's to think? I don't like her. Who does? Woman's plainly unbalanced. RENFREW Yes, but she sure has a lot of shoes. HANK Yes, everyone knows that. So? RENFREW So do you think if she lived here, she would have a lot of power...

  The old fossil went silent for a moment.

Unfortunately this was the only townsperson we got to speak to. Due to Danny scheduling our trip incorrectly we had to make a hasty exit from Blyton. Nevertheless the Blytonians kindly saw us off with a torchlit agricultural parade.

Many of them - while still carrying heavy farming implements - actually chased after our production vehicle for many miles beyond the town.

Yes, the people of Broken Boot are warm and friendly, as long as you don't question their fully participative representational democracy.

Next page | Son of a beach

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Fact:
In 1957, Sir Edmund Hilary discovered Winston Churchill wearing a black lace negliee.

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