Brian Martin Quotes
An elected representative is not tied in any substantial way to particular policies, whatever the preferences of the electorate. Influence on the politician is greatest at the time of election. Once elected, the representative is released from popular control but continues to be exposed to powerful pressure groups, especially corporations, state bureaucracies and political party power brokers
Brian Martin, Australian Political Scientist & Sociologist, "Democracy without Elections," in Howard J. Ehrlich (ed.), Reinventing Anarchy, Again
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
There were many national politicians who would publicly castigate homosexuals and yet were themselves gay and in effect were living two lives. For them “coming out of the closet” had a temporary meaning restricted to time and place and then they would go back “in the closet” for their public personae.
He was right but his timing was a little early.
Brian Martin (born 1947) is a social scientist in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in NSW, Australia. He was appointed a Professor at the University in 2007, and in 2017 was appointed Emeritus Professor. His work is in the fields of peace research, scientific controversies, science and technology studies, sociology, political science, media studies, law, journalism, freedom of speech, education and corrupted institutions, as well as research on whistleblowing and dissent in the context of science. Martin was president of Whistleblowers Australia from 1996 to 1999 and remains their International Director. He has been criticized by medical professionals and public health advocates for promoting HIV/AIDS denialism and vaccine hesitancy in the context of his work.
