Nearly finished reading the book. Congrats, Margo. Disturbing. Yes, but also enlightening. I had one of those cathartic explosions by the time I hit the end of the Pauline Hanson section - and I'm by no means a Hansonite. It's all about information.

Begin with faith in people and then add full disclosure and access to information, and it would seem impossible to have any government but a fully and naturally democratic one grow from that happy circumstance. Or am I being naive?

People aren't stupid but they are self-interested. I know I am - self interested, not stupid. And it's self-interest surely that democracy relies upon. In a good way; the good kind of self-interest. I make decisions that will be good for me and mine, and if enough of us make the same decision, we become the democratic majority and society veers onto that course. And if it didn't and our elected representatives weren't being responsive to our decisions, we'd know because, in my fantasy, the information would be readily available to us.

If we really did make decisions based upon what was good for us and not according to which political party we barrack(!) for or which misinformation we're currently at the mercy of (Hello, Mr. Murdoch), then I think we'd decide in favour of education and healthcare for our kids and not tax exemptions and the chance at more comprehensive media ownership for the rich.

It's only natural.