Put your cross here, there and everywhere

Following all the excitement regarding the elections last week, I thought only right that I allowed you all a peek into my own thoughts. Fear not, I'm not about to share with you my particular political views, suffice to say all the important parties, and the Liberal Democrats, should focus more of their manifesto on the advancement of science, and thus mankind. While government money spent on hand outs to the "needy" are all well and good, if the money was spent on research grants we might be able to solve all their needs. Cheap robot nannies to look after toddlers will save money on childcare vouchers. Drugs to delay puberty would greatly cut down teenage pregnancy.

It is this current public focus on politics that has led me to speculate about how governments of the future will operate. Democracy is probably the way things will continue... But the idea of voting for a representative who will make decisions for you may have a limited place in the world of tomorrow. With the forthcoming release of identity cards, electronic voting, and other techno-political implementations, it is surely only a matter of time before you can vote from home on any political decision, as opposed to who stays in a silly dancing competition. Imagine - the houses of parliaments stretching across the whole of the uk. Everyone having a direct say in every discussion.

While this may initially seem like a good idea, it should be fairly obvious that most people don't know or understand the first thing about running a country. So it will only be a matter of time before tests are introduced for people to prove they have the background needed for making informed decisions. For those who don't (and this will be the vast majority of people), I predict that they will only have the option of nominating a recognised authority to vote on their behalf. These people would undoubtedly campaign the receive nominations... and thus, the politicians of the future are born.
An ironic example of how technology will pave the way for progress, which then reverts to a situation remarkably similar to the current way of doing things.