STP

BLOG: posted 2009-05-26

Until we acknowledge the fundamental flaw in the very concept of Parliamentary Democracy, there is little hope of meaningful reform.

And what is this flaw?  The fact that the executive is rooted in the legislature.

Parliament needs to be independent of the executive to have any relevance.  It is unacceptanble that the head of government is the leader of a political party, that members of the government sit in parliament, and that a political party can dictate the way an MP votes, yet none of these issues is addressed in any reform proposals put forward by the main parties.

There are many potential solutions to the problem, but until the agenda is rested from the parties, there is little chance that the real issues will be recognised, let alone addressed.

Blog

• We can't let them get away with saying it's just a few bad apples.
• Cameron's speech yesterday (I heard him give the same one 3 years ago!) was very good on the rhetoric of the problems: remoteness, disenfranchisement, domination of the legislature by the executive. However, his solutions do not match up.
• Until we acknowledge the fundamental flaw in the very concept of Parliamentary Democracy, there is little hope of meaningful reform.
• We need independent candidates for MPs. Not just celebrities parachuted into a few constituencies but ordinary people in every constituency.
• The long-overdue removal of the Speaker and the cobbling together of a poor compromise of a deal on expenses just proves that Parliament is incapable of self-regulation and reform.
• Despite all the furore and focus on the expenses scandal, MP's and their leaders still don't seem to get the point.
• How depressing to see the lack of imagination displayed by the Government's white paper on Lord's reform and the very limited debate around it. Believe it or not, there are real alternatives!
• Two very different constituencies, two not-so-different parties and one message. You can't count on traditional support when you abandon traditional values.
• What could possibly be the justification for merging police authorities, other than making them less accountable to communities and more accountable to Government?
• How can Tony Blair expect to deliver democracy in Iraq based on a model that is failing in his own country?
• The latest political soap opera that is the struggle for power within the Labour Party will only serve to switch more people off from politics.
• POWER Conference - Overall an enjoyable day, but as an exercise in democracy, a palpable failure. 

via sacktheparties.org.uk

Posted via web from sunwalking's posterous