Frank MacKinnon – författare

Frank MacKinnon is an urbane observer of the human condition. He believes in participatory democracy, but does not think that it or any other system will work if it is put on an ideological pedestal -- or if its limitations are not discussed frankly, and then remedied effectively. In the opening chapters he describes in general ways the positions and strategies adopted today by people with various kinds of powers. He then examines in considerable detail several of man''s major institutions -- governments and professions, churches, universities, and cultural bodies. Some of his conclusions are: - Man has become very theoretical- Man tends to take dogmatic positions based on his theories, so that social action becomes a contest rather than a dialogue -- a relationship among theories and institutions often rendered unintelligible by jargon and unworkable by regulation, rather than a communication among men. - Man fancies administration and devotes much energy to entangling himself in his own red tape, often with fatal results- Man allows himself to waste his talents and the world''s resources- Man can obviously afford to do none of those things

The remedy which Professor MacKinnon proposes is the re-introduction into the affairs of man of colour and culture. These, he argues, are not only the most practical of political instruments, but the only consistently successful means of communication among men of all races throughout all time.

THE GOVERNMENT of Prince Edward Island illustrates the operation of an elaborate constitution in a small place. The same system which functions in the large and populous parts of the British Commonwealth has developed in a tiny and isolated province which boasts few economic advantages and a population of only 90,000 people, and has resulted in an unusual example of local democracy. The turbulent political history of the Island in the early years and the nature of her institutions of government have resulted, not only from the normal growth of the parliamentary system, but also from the difficult process of adjusting that system to the local environment. The purpose of this book is to outline the development of the Island''s public affairs in the colonial period and to describe the political institutions and the characteristics of provincial government and politics.