The Kids Are Not All Right

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Minshuto to ban politics as family pursuit
Taking a swipe at nepotism within the ruling party, the main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) declared Thursday it would ban the practice of Diet members allowing relatives to "inherit" their political constituencies. Minshuto said it hoped the policy would set it apart from the Liberal Democratic Party in the minds of voters, adding that the policy would take effect from the next Lower House election and be included in its campaign manifesto. About one in three Lower House members of the LDP occupies a seat previously held by a family member. In the Cabinet, at least two-thirds of members inherited their support base in electoral constituencies. The same goes for Prime Minister Taro Aso and his three immediate predecessors--Yasuo Fukuda, Shinzo Abe and Junichiro Koizumi...Minshuto officials said they hoped the policy will help restore the party's image following the arrest of an aide to party leader Ichiro Ozawa for alleged illegal fund-raising. Katsuya Okada, a former Minshuto party head, now leads the political reform promotion headquarters...Okada said, "It weakens the vitality of politics. Political parties need to recruit candidates from a wider field if they are to select the individuals most suited for the job"...more...

[Sentakki Fried Chicken]

I wonder what DPJ stalwart Kunio Hatoyama (currently occupying his "father's seat" in the Diet...and grandpa and great-grandpa were politicians, too) thinks of this idea?

[dimwit]

I wonder what DPJ stalwart Kunio Hatoyama (currently occupying his "father's seat" in the Diet...and grandpa and great-grandpa were politicians, too) thinks of this idea?

I think you mean Yukio but have the same difficulty distinguishing them.

Ultimately, I think the that the number Hapsberg Emperor-like genetic anomalies in the Diet will not decline until the voting public recognizes that political pedigree like dog pedigree can only lead to some interesting deformities.

[LBLB]

Typical political smoke and mirrors - "Sure our guy got caught taking large cash handouts from a construction company... but hey! Look at those guys over there passing constituencies down to their kids!!!"

That aside, I don't like the idea of effectively telling voters who they can and cannot vote for. Sure, there is something slightly wrong with a system where dad retires and hands things off to his previously non-political son (like Koizumi is doing). But then again, shouldn't it be the electorate that gets to say whether or not they want Junior representing them? I mean, what if Junior is actually very competent and would do a good job? So the voters have to choose someone less competent just because the DPJ (and interestingly, some within the LDP who seem to be jumping on the idea just to spite Koizumi) decides to pass a bill as a political distraction from their own troubles?

[Netherlander]

Shouldn't the constituency decide if a candidate is worthy or not? The people should decide. If the people are stupid enough to believe, the offspring are the same as their parents then they are quite dumb.