One of the reasons for the ocean of anger felt by UK citizens – as evidenced in e.g. the 28th May and other editions of the BBC’s Question Time and the comments in numberless newspapers and blogs – is the breaking of trust.
Why did the trust get broken? Well the electorate entrusted their little bits of power to MPs who didn’t (or couldn’t) keep their eye on the ball.
What is ‘the ball’? It’s the set of local and national concerns that a) were the mandate for electing the MP in the first place and b) new or re-prioritized concerns since the electing was done.
What are the MPs supposed to have done instead of watching the ball?
1) allowed the Prime Minster to become close to all-powerful and parliament to become close to powerless, 2) feathered their own nests up to and including the criminal as well as the immoral. 3) Fell asleep for a decade – whilst the country and the world changed. These three led us disastrously into wars and credit crunch impoverishment.
The UK populace is now demanding what it let go in the past – accountability. The English in particular seem, compared to some mainland European countries, political virgins.
Martin Bell HERE says the MPs brought it on themselves – but did we, the English public, bring on the mess because of our negativity and laziness about politics?
There is a slight chance that the population will sufficiently educate itself, in the remaining months before the next General Election. Sufficiently that is to demnad a form of politcs that frees the country from the class-system inspired 19th ideologies of Toryism or Labour.
Labour’s done for, for a decade but the last thing we need is the same old system simply dressed in Cameron’s ‘borrowed clothes’.
From listening a great cross-section of views this is what I think England wants and needs;
THE MANIFESTO TO REALLY GIVE ENGLAND/The UK A MODERM POLITICAL SYSTEM
ESTABLISH FAIR VOTING – all the rest are weakened without proportional representation
OVERTURN TRIBAL POLITICS – get out of the strait-jacket of the tired Tory & Labour ideologies – Cameron is not a real alternative to Blair-Brown, he is the same old stuff – with a slightly different flavour.
CENTRE ON ISSUES BEFORE IDEOLOGIES – MPs, especially Independent MPs, need to learn to continuously group around issues rather than tribal loyalties.
ENABLE MORE INDEPENDENTS – more than a quarter should produce positive results.
ACCELERATE FAIR REPRESENTATION – of women and minorities.
DEMAND FACTS BEFORE OPINIONS – the public as well as MPs need to get the best info from independent sources.
COOPERATE MORE – more cooperation – less wasteful combat for combat’s sake.
MAKE MPS REWARDS FAIR – eg same as average Head Teacher – combined with serious and continuous accountability.
INSTITUTE PRIMARIES – but only after a close examination of their benefits in other countries?
FOCUS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL STAKE-HOLDERS – as pre-eminent virtues.
REDUCE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – create best-practice county-level broad policies e.g. ‘You are statutorily required to provide a holistic set of services for youth in your area.’ Then keep central government out – other than to check that every county is implementing a range of best practice.
MAXIMISE FREE VOTING IN PARLIAMENT – whipping distorts and stultifies.
MAXIMISE SECRET BALLOTS IN ALL APPROPRIATE CONCERNS – e.g. election of a new Speaker.
HABITUALLY IMPORT BEST PRACTICE – from Denmark, Scandinavia, Canada, Australia, Germany etc.
CREATE A SIMPLE WRITTEN CONSTITUTION WITH 1 YEAR – then take 10 years to refine it.
ELIMINATE WASTE – everywhere, at all levels.
CONTINUE BEEFING UP TRANSPARENCY IN ACCOUNTABILITY – we want MPs to be transparently accountable for what they do, not just their expenses.
SACK SERIOUSLY ‘DEVIANT’ MPs
MAKE VOTING COMPULSORY – it will reduce wasteful and dispiriting carping, when combined with fair voting.
1 ESTABLISH FAIR VOTING – all the rest are weakened without proportional representation
2 OVERTURN TRIBAL POLITICS – get out of the strait-jacket of the tired Tory & Labour ideologies – Cameron is not a real alternative to Blair-Brown, he is the same old stuff – with a slightly different flavour.
3 CENTRE ON ISSUES BEFORE IDEOLOGIES – MPs, especially Independent MPs, need to learn to continuously group around issues rather than tribal loyalties.
4 ENABLE MORE INDEPENDENTS – more than a quarter should produce positive results.
5 ACCELERATE FAIR REPRESENTATION – of women and minorities.
6 DEMAND FACTS BEFORE OPINIONS – the public as well as MPs need to get the best info from independent sources.
7 COOPERATE MORE – more cooperation – less wasteful combat for combat’s sake.
8 MAKE MPS REWARDS FAIR – eg same as average Head Teacher – combined with serious and continuous accountability.
9 INSTITUTE PRIMARIES – but only after a close examination of their benefits in other countries?
10 FOCUS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL STAKE-HOLDERS – as pre-eminent virtues.
11 REDUCE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – create best-practice county-level broad policies e.g. ‘You are statutorily required to provide a holistic set of services for youth in your area.’ Then keep central government out – other than to check that every county is implementing a range of best practice.
13 MAXIMISE FREE VOTING IN PARLIAMENT – whipping distorts and stultifies.
14 MAXIMISE SECRET BALLOTS IN ALL APPROPRIATE CONCERNS – e.g. election of a new Speaker.
15 HABITUALLY IMPORT BEST PRACTICE – from Denmark, Scandinavia, Canada, Australia, Germany etc.
16 CREATE A SIMPLE WRITTEN CONSTITUTION WITH 1 YEAR – then take 10 years to refine it.
17 ELIMINATE WASTE – everywhere, at all levels.
18 CONTINUE BEEFING UP TRANSPARENCY IN ACCOUNTABILITY – we want MPs to be transparently accountable for what they do, not just their expenses.
19 SACK SERIOUSLY ‘DEVIANT’ MPs
20 MAKE VOTING COMPULSORY – it will, when combined with fair voting, reduce wasteful and dispiriting carping by lazy moaners.
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Gordon Brown boards the same train as David Cameron at Paddington station in London today. Both were headed to Wales to campaign in the local elections. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
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