We're back!

Apologies for the break in transmission, but we are back and better than ever for the second half of 2013. As you may have noticed, while we were out of service the tiny hamsters of the interweb have been busy upgrading the blog. It may not be six months worth of improvements, but it's something.
There's plenty to look forward to on The Irrelephant Man, including AFL previews, all the goss on the Ashes, the soap opera that is Australian politics, music, as well as the blogger's staple: lists.
We'll also occasionally dip into some more serious topics such as the ideas presented in these two posts;  one on the separation of powers, the other on Australia's idiosyncratic electoral system. If they're not for you, hang around because some slightly less dry posts are coming your way soon (and no pissy biscuits!).

The Separation of Powers in Australia

The doctrine of the separation of powers is the model that underpins a parliamentary democracy. The idea that there should be separate bodies to create, implement and adjudicate on laws is crucial to the maintenance of political liberty and even a check against tyranny (Summers, Woodward & Parkin 1990, p. 10). But to have the legislative, executive and judicial arms of governance separate is not the same as to have them equal. The Australian political system, with its hybrid mixture of British institutions and American federalised system has created a system where the Executive arm of government is the prevailing force in the Australian political sphere. This essay will explore how Australia’s political model caused this shift in power, how the executive influences and limits the other branches of government and highlight the power of the executive when it is unrestricted by the legislature.

The Australian electoral system: Preferential voting vs Proportional voting

You were warned...

Australia has long been regarded as a nation at the forefront of the innovation and design of electoral systems. So much so that it has a reputation as a country more willing than any other to experiment with electoral systems in pursuit of improving parliamentary democracy (Farrell & McAllister 2006 p. 1). It can come as no surprise then that the voting systems for electing members according to population (House of Representatives) and equally among states (the Senate) are different (Uhr 1997, p.68-9). This article will look at how and why these systems are different, how well they reflect the people who vote under them and how these systems could potentially be improved to better reflect the will of the people and confirm Australia’s reputation as an electoral trailblazer.