"I question whether the concept of "Representative Democracy" has outlived its purpose". ... and excellent point to raise bacci. and I agree that democracy should involve the community more.
one of the key benefits of independents is the connection with the electorate. if I were in such a position, I'd have a community forum to discuss and decide electorate policy which could then be taken to parliament for debate and decision.
a direct vote might be more difficult for the entire country, but certainly the technology has the capacity for such. but I would start at the electorate level first.
now, "representative democracy" is appointment by community vote of a single person from the community too attend parliament to express the views of the community. this would be more functional than the current party arrangement. certainly genuinely democratic.
I consider community representation to be the ultimate goal of any parliamentary or government system. but what we have now is far less than that.
