binding citizen's initiated referenda

theme music: don't mess with mr inbetween

so i went to a public meeting tonight and there was a man there (in the audience) rabitting on and on about BCIR, as he fondly called them. ( he assumed that we all knew what he was talking about and didn't bother to explain the term.)

the strangest thing was not only was he his own worst enemy by alienating the crowd, he also fundamentally undermined his own cause by proving the worst point of BCIR, ie that those with the loudest voices can shout down the quieter ones, even though they have just as much to say.

what i mean is the danger of BCIR is for minorities or disadvantaged groups - as is evidenced by how long it took women to get the vote in Switzerland (the BCIR proponent just said that other European countries took a long time to give the vote to women too - oh that makes it alright then). the loudest voice (whether it be loudest by virtue of numbers or money) can shout down others, and ultimately oppress them. without a constitution or similar that would actively protect people's rights BCIRs are v dangerous indeed.