Democracy

Things are decided by a combination of direct and representative democracy.

Remember first of all that the primary power and freedom of choice resides with individuals. People have the right to govern their own affairs. They have no inherent rights to govern the affairs of others.

Any group is free to establish any system of governance within their group that they desire. That is, they can decide that everything is voted on and the majority rules, or they might elect leaders who will decide what goes.

A key principle is, however, that any individual member of a group is free to leave if he or she does not agree with the way the group is working. One is not forced to stay within any particular group, but as long as one is there one is subject to the rules and norms within that group.

A group is free to establish any criteria for membership that it chooses, and any rules of behavior for members. It is also free to expel members that are deemed to not abide by those rules. The only universal stipulation is that such rules and criteria must be clearly and specifically declared. That is, before joining a certain group one should be able to examine the specs for the group in full and decide for oneself whether one wants to join or not.

In order to preserve the freedom to leave a group, no group can be so large and pervasive that there is nowhere else to go. There must always be another group to go to, or a space in which one can start one's own group. Monopolies of any kind are to be dissolved.

A uniform principle is that people can vote with their feet. That is, there is always a choice of different circumstances and systems to live by. People go to the area or group that best fits their personal preferences. They participate and support the group community they've chosen to be part of. If they change their mind they can always go somewhere else.

The general rule for decision making is that decisions are taken by those who are directly involved and affected. That means that decisions about local conditions of living are taken by local residents.

Representation is generally used to allow smaller groups to participate in affairs of a larger scale. Small local groups elect representatives, by any system they choose, to represent them in larger coordinating bodies, and in any other external matters.

Representatives will act on behalf of their constituents outside their group. They will make decisions, and take actions, and participate in negotiations, keeping in mind the best interests of their group, as well as any bigger whole.

Representatives can be recalled at any time by their electing group. There will generally not be any time-based terms of office. It is advised for any group to have mechanisms for revoking the bestowed proxy powers of their representatives with short notice.

Again, a representative acts in matters external to a group, but does not have the power to rule the internal affairs of a group. And no coordinating body the representative participates in has such powers either. Their business is matters of coordination and extroverted activity.

To support decision making at all levels, most residents of HoloWorld demand full information on all matters that concern them. That is, attempts to set up black-box agencies or companies, that "serve" or govern people without revealing how, should and would be stopped in their tracks. Dishonest practices will be largely impractical, in that most people will be so well connected and well informed that they will quickly revoke any powers granted to the purveyors of such practices.