Barry Klemm

Ironbark Utopia PB Barry Klemm

True Democracy has never been practiced because of the sheer impracticality of asking every citizen their opinion on every issue-this is no longer so. Modern technology makes it very possible indeed. Gone will be political parties, lobby groups, and the ability of the big corporations to run Western nations by stealth. Professor Gary Ironbark has come up with the method to replace the outmoded 19th Century methods of Representative Oligarchy under which we presently labour. He has published his ideas on how a genuine, truly fair democracy could be brought about in a book, but is rather surprised when a bunch of students take him seriously and create a society in his name. The concept spreads to other campuses, at first in Australia, then overseas, despite Ironbark's determination to deny their existence. And then it becomes a political movement and his ideas spread out into the streets and suburbs. For this is not just a plan to bring politics into the 21st Century-this is the basis of the first truly democratic government and Australia, the easiest large country to govern in the world, is the ideal proving ground. Soon there is a political party, the Ironbark Utopians, which gradually moves from modest to major success, and Ironbark is the reluctant figurehead leader. But when conventional government suddenly collapses under the weight of its own irrelevance and corruption, Ironbark is propelled to power and given the chance to implement his ideas. Ironbark is a rather refreshing sort of leader, embarrassingly honest, fearlessly incorruptible and utterly devoid of interest in the usual trappings of status and power. The great aphrodisiac effect of power does work on him-he has a secret love-unfortunately, she heads up his most serious opposition. Pragmatic forces strive to combat him at every level, but after a few slip-ups, Ironbark actually gets his system to work. . But there is a cruel price to be paid, and Ironbark must pay it.