'Bob on Books' review: Citizenship Without Illusions

Bob Trube reviews my new book on his Bob on Books blog: Review: Citizenship Without Illusions. An excerpt:

For years I’ve found myself in this place. I recognize that we need good governance from the officials we elect. But I cannot fully endorse what either of our parties propound nor give unquestioning allegiance to person or party. What is difficult is that I have friends on both sides of the partisan divide who seem to give unflinching allegiance to their party and the people they have elected or want to elect. Often, I find conversations with such individuals futile. There is no questioning allowed and only one side is right on everything. It is particularly disconcerting when my friends resort to lies and character assassination to buttress their political allegiance. I grope for a different kind of political engagement or want to just withdraw.

Citizenship Without Illusions is written for people like me.

Trube also writes this in his review:

[Koyzis'] analysis of voting raises a question many struggle with–why vote in situations where a vote doesn’t matter? Proportional representation would require constitutional changes. This is not an easy fix.

Two meanings of constitutional are relevant here. The one to which Trube appears to be referring is the formal process for amending a constitutional document. For the most part, adopting proportional representation (PR) would require only statutory change, given that the current single-member-plurality electoral system is not enshrined in the text of the Constitution. However, and this is the second meaning, some statutory change amounts to constitutional change in that it affects the functioning of the larger political system at a foundational level. Adopting PR would effectively be constitutional in this latter sense.

That said, I suspect that, if PR ever becomes a reality in the US, it will start at the state level and perhaps remain something of a patchwork, with some states keeping the status quo. To effect PR across the country probably would require a formal constitutional amendment, much as the 19th Amendment enfranchised all female citizens in 1920. In this respect, Trube's assertion is likely correct with respect to the country as a whole.

I am grateful for another positive review of my book.