Tag: UK Parliament

UK REFORM: Who will waken England’s masses deadened by decades of Labour-Tory tribalism? Helena Kennedy nails a vital issue.

UK REFORM: Who will waken England’s masses deadened by decades of Labour-Tory tribalism? Helena Kennedy nails a vital issue.

Helena Kennedy nails vital issue re political reform in the Guardian online 3.6.09

Kennedy says the people must have a direct say in our sorely needed political reform. She argues that we should not settle for reform ’emanating from the very establishment that has dissed the system’

She also points to a problem that has kept Labour and the Tories away from political reform, especially PR, ‘that the people who are in a position to deliver reform have the most to lose if it is introduced.’ And, so I would say, kept them continually pumping out dubious and dishonest arguments about Fair voting – SEE 10 Myths about Fair Voting (Proportional Representation) and Cameron’s deceitful article. which tells us that, among other dire things, PR will allow in the BNP! For an article that shows that it is PR that will keep out the BNP see HERE

This she says is why there has to be a citizens’ convention, independent of government, which is free to set its own agenda.

If the electorate in Scotland took matters into their own hands by holding a constitutional convention so ought we, she argues. OK will someone tell me how? How to do so that gets a cross-section involved, and not just the constitutional anoraks?

The anger that brought a Labour melt-down must be transformed into the desire and energy for constitutional reform – with STV or at the very least AV plus as the hub of the wheel.

Scotland had the prize of its own parliament to energize itself into a full consultation – what will do it in England with a populous deadened by Labour-Tory tribalism?

SEE also Neal Lawson’s article HERE

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Women and the Vote – an essential element in political reform

Are you part of the debate?

Women’s political representation in the UK is appallingly low. In the House of Commons only 19% of MPs are women. Local government is doing better but still only 30% of local councilors are female. The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are closer to equal representation of men and women but there is room for improvement. Overall, the UK is 60th in the international league table of women’s representation.

We think this needs to change…….do you?

The Women and the Vote campaign aims to create a network of organisations and individuals who want to change this. We believe that much more still needs to be done to improve women’s access to political power.

And this is how you can be part of the debate

one Sign up to the campaign!
two Get your friends to sign up too!
three Add this website to your Facebook page!
four Write to your MP asking him/ her to sign up to the campaign! (A list of all the MPs/ MEPs and Peers already signed up can be found on the sign-up section of the website.)
five Organise your own Women and the Vote event! For further information on this email info@womenandthevote.com or call Beatrice on 020 72028600.

via womenandthevote.com

GET RID OF TRIBAL POLITICS – summary of my resources and comment for 26 common-sense steps to give England a modern, responsive, political system.

1 Establish ‘fair voting’
2 Massively reduce ‘tribal politics’
3 Centre on issues before ideologies
4 Enable more independents
5 Accelerate fair representation
6 Demand ‘facts before opinions’
7 Cooperate more
8 Make MPs rewards fair
9 Connect local, regional and national election processes
10 Focus on social justice and quality of life for all stake-holders
11 Reduce central government
12 Maximise free voting in parliament
13 Maximise secret ballots in all appropriate concerns
14 Habitually import best practice
15 Create a simple written constitution within 1 year
16 Eliminate waste
17 Continue beefing up transparency in accountability
18 Sack or punish seriously ‘deviant’ MPs
19 Make voting compulsory
20 Reform political funding
22 Improve the independence and the accountability and efficiency of the civil service
23 Support MPs appropriately
24 Police more thoroughly the funding of politics
25 Reform the House of Lords
26 Encourage positive interest in, & involvement in, political process.
The No 1 need if we want a good political system is FAIR VOTING see HERE

Roger Prentice

Cameron and Brown on same train – yeah ‘its the stop the country getting Fair Voting (proportional representation) choo choo!’

Gordon Brown boards the same train as David Cameron at Paddington station in London on April 25 2008. Both were headed to Wales to campaign in the local elections. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PAGordon 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

via guardian.co.uk

Click on Guardian link for the train story.

Do You want to know what Cameron thinks about Fair Voting – it’s a disgraceful misrepresentation –  see this Evening Standard article

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

UK Parliamentary reform is part of constitutional reform

Reforming UK parliament is part of a wider concern – constitutional reform.  Here together are the original Charter 88 ‘Ten Constitutional Demands and a proposed agenda for UK parlimentary reform.

The time has come to demand political, civil and human rights in the United Kingdom. We call, therefore, for a new constitutional settlement which will:-

1 Enshrine by means of a Bill of Rights, such civil liberties as the right to peaceful assembly, to freedom of association, to freedom from discrimination, to freedom from detention without trail, to trial by jury, to privacy and to freedom of expression.
2 Subject executive powers and prerogatives, by whomsoever exercised, to the rule of law.
3 Establish freedom of information and open government.
4 Create a fair electoral system of proportional representation.
5 Reform the upper house to establish a democratic, non-hereditary second chamber.
6 Place the executive under the power of a democratically renewed parliament and all agencies of the state under the rule of law.
7 Ensure the independence of a reformed judiciary.
8 Provide legal remedies for all abuses of power by the state and by officials of central and local government.
9 Guarantee an equitable distribution of power between the nations of the United Kingdom and between local, regional and central government.
10 Draw up a written constitution, anchored in the idea of universal citizenship, which incorporates these reforms.
The inscription of laws does not guarantee their realisation. Only people themselves can ensure freedom, democracy and equality before the law. Nonetheless, such ends are far better demanded, and more effectively obtained and guarded, once they belong to everyone by inalienable right.

Charter 88 – Ten constitutional demands

We have had less freedom than we believed. That which we have enjoyed has been too dependent on the benevolence of our rulers. Our freedoms have remained their possession, rationed out to us as subjects rather than being our own inalienable possession as citizens. To make real the freedoms we once took for granted means for the first time to take them for ourselves.

The time has come to demand political, civil and human rights in the United Kingdom. We call, therefore, for a new constitutional settlement which will:-

1 Enshrine by means of a Bill of Rights, such civil liberties as the right to peaceful assembly, to freedom of association, to freedom from discrimination, to freedom from detention without trail, to trial by jury, to privacy and to freedom of expression.

2 Subject executive powers and prerogatives, by whomsoever exercised, to the rule of law.

3 Establish freedom of information and open government.

4 Create a fair electoral system of proportional representation.

5 Reform the upper house to establish a democratic, non-hereditary second chamber.

6 Place the executive under the power of a democratically renewed parliament and all agencies of the state under the rule of law.

7 Ensure the independence of a reformed judiciary.

8 Provide legal remedies for all abuses of power by the state and by officials of central and local government.

9 Guarantee an equitable distribution of power between the nations of the United Kingdom and between local, regional and central government.

10 Draw up a written constitution, anchored in the idea of universal citizenship, which incorporates these reforms.

The inscription of laws does not guarantee their realisation. Only people themselves can ensure freedom, democracy and equality before the law. Nonetheless, such ends are far better demanded, and more effectively obtained and guarded, once they belong to everyone by inalienable right.

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THE MANIFESTO TO REALLY GIVE ENGLAND/The UK A MODERM POLITICAL SYSTEM

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.

12 MAXIMISE FREE VOTING IN PARLIAMENT – whipping distorts and stultifies.

13 MAXIMISE SECRET BALLOTS IN ALL APPROPRIATE CONCERNS – e.g. election of a new Speaker.

14 HABITUALLY IMPORT BEST PRACTICE – from Denmark, Scandinavia, Canada, Australia, Germany etc.

15 CREATE A SIMPLE WRITTEN CONSTITUTION WITH 1 YEAR – then take 10 years to refine it.

16 ELIMINATE WASTE – everywhere, at all levels.

17 CONTINUE BEEFING UP TRANSPARENCY IN ACCOUNTABILITY – we want MPs to be transparently accountable for what they do, not just their expenses.

18 SACK OR PUNISH SERIOUSLY ‘DEVIANT’ MPs

19 MAKE VOTING COMPULSORY – it will, when combined with fair voting, reduce wasteful and dispiriting carping by lazy moaners.

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For a starting point on Constitutional Reform see WikiPedia

NEW MEDIA: “Will journalism be done by you or to you?” – pros and cons of Citizen Journalism


What is Citizen Journalism?

“When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another, that’s citizen journalism.”

Definition by the shy and self-efacing Jay Rosen, Professor of Journalism at NYU – on YouTube video and on his site – SEE sources below.

Why  is CJ important?

Because it is part of the daily rise of new media which is both providing non-journalists with journalistic capability and helping reduce the viability of older media – such as newspapers.

Because potentially it can support the democratic process, as well as be a means of education and friendship.

What are the most important pros and cons of citizen journalism?

Other Pros

Deeper and wider representation.

Undermines exploitative static forms

Cons

Loss of important authority, as well as false or exploitative authority.  Will broken trust mean everyone floats in a sea of relativity with no effective moral compass?

Wide distribution of mis-information or poor quality stuff.

Sources:

Professor Jay Rosen’s site at NYU – http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/

See also – WikiPedia

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NB This is such an important subject that I will create a static page under ‘New Media’ for frequent updating. I will re-post major updates/developments.

Wake up, wake up, wake up!: Are the English public to blame for the mess that Parliament is in?

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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Remember and salute Aung San Suu Kyi

I am forwarding this post in the hope that readers will send their 64 words, or some other greeting, in support of Aung San Suu Kyi;

64 words for Aung San Suu Kyi

by Robert Sharp
May 27, 2009 at 2:30 am

I didn’t know that Salman Rushdie and Aung San Suu Kyi shared a birthday:

On this day, my birthday and yours, I always remember your long ordeal and silently applaud your endurance. This year, silence is impossible. It is not any action of yours, but your house arrest, which symbolizes the suppression of Burmese democracy, that is criminal. It is your trial, not your struggle, that is unjust. On this day, on every day, I am with you.

Rushdie’s message launches the Sixty-Four Words for Aung San Suu Kyi project.

Citizens of the world are invited to leave a 64 word message for Aung San, in honour of her 64th birthday on 19th June. Alternatively, you can leave a 64 character twitter instead, using the hashtag #assk64.

http://64forsuu.com/

The project is led by the Burma Campaign UK and was created in only six days, which is a remarkable feat. In addition to Salman Rushdie, the site carries messages from Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and George Clooney. Why not add your message, and then let others know that you’ve done so?

Press Conference with Aung San Suu Kyi

· About the author: Robert Sharp designed the Liberal Conspiracy site. He is the Campaigns Manager at English PEN, a blogger, and a director of digital design company Fifty Nine Productions. Find him also at his eponymous blog
via liberalconspiracy.org

Remember and salute Aung San Suu Kyi

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Response to Daniel Finklestein: Mob mentality or eccentric growing up?

Response to Daniel Finklestein: Mob mentality or eccentric growing up?

Daniel Finklestein does what good columnists should do – make us feel, see and think angles that don’t naturally occur to us.  And he does so wittily.

In his MPs? Well, I can’t trust anyone. Not even you.  it is deliciously witty, and disturbing.  He asks us to consider whether we are guilty of mob mentality in joying in a whole serious of tut-tutting against a whole range of groups.

Well I’ve enjoyed adding whatever oomph I could do the raucous indignation re MP’s expenses.  Not because I think that the crime is very important or the solution very complex, but because I have felt, from the time Thatcher crucified countless working-class villages and families, followed by an illegal war followed the credit-crunching robber-bankers, ‘they’ve had it coming to them’.

At last we’ve got the means to dish it out.  And it has been served up by the Torygraph as well – irony of ironies, £300,000 of irony.

No it’s not at all about moats, and light-bulbs and porn rentals.  It’s simply a perverse way to do what we can’t do in a grown-up way – become a grown-up modern country.

But DF I’ve (we’ve?) waited half-a-century not just to join in the dishing-out but to see my beloved country, England, manage to get itself into a modern state (preferably not someone else’s, as in Iraq).

The fact that the Scots got a superior system, as did the Germans after WWIII, is irony upon irony.  I don’t want to have to wait another fifty years.

It’s now or never.  When do we want it? – now, now, now. It’s not mobbery it’s just the eccentric, class-oppressed English trying to grow up.

Have you got what it takes to be an independent MP? – asks the Times Online

From The Times on May 21, 2009 has an article asking ‘Have you got what it takes to be an independent MP?’
‘Everyone from Esther Rantzen to the bloke next door thinks that they would make a better fist of being an MP than the present crop. Our man, donning the Martin Bell white suit, looks at what being an independent really entails’

The Times on May 21, 2009 has an article asking, ‘Have you got what it takes to be an independent MP?’

‘Everyone from Esther Rantzen to the bloke next door thinks that they would make a better fist of being an MP than the present crop. Our man, donning the Martin Bell white suit, looks at what being an independent really entails’

They have another short article on the 8 steps to becoming an MP

Excellent article by Rachel Sylvester on our political masters’ twitterings

Rachel Sylvester asks in ‘ Politicians twitter while the country burns‘  if Twittering is another example of  ‘I link therefore I am‘ – only worse!

The politicians are desperate but Twitter is very new and it is developing quickly – all we need is a political system that does the save!  Let’s try Fair Voting as a start.

We independents could bring on reform says Terry Waite – Times Online

Terry Waite has a very interesting article in the Times online which he starts by saying;

If I decide to stand for Parliament, it will be to try and bring some fresh air to a political hothouse

Week three and the whiff of revolution is still in the air. MPs who were not fatally wounded are still running for cover, while the Lords tremble at the thought of being next in line. Over in Brussels nervous passengers on the Bisto Express are locking themselves in the bunker that has so far proved impervious to the annual ordeal by audit.

As spectator sports go I have to confess to mixed feelings. I take little delight in seeing anyone publicly injured and humiliated. But along with the vast majority of the population, I am amused and angry. Amused at the ducks, the moat, horse manure, dry rot and phantom mortgages. Angry that, as Jonathan Aitken (who ought to know about these matters) said on the Today programme, compliance has replaced conscience.

The truth is that the gunpowder has been accumulating for a very long time. Increasingly a professional class of politician has grown and the more professional they have become, the more remote they are. Admittedly we live in a complex world where many of the issues that Parliament has to deal with are simply not resolvable by Parliament alone. Yet our MPs stumble along passing legislation that lays impossible layers of bureaucracy on education, the health service, small businesses, you name it. Politicians have fallen into the trap of believing that law and process alone suffice.

Despite the rhetoric about Martin Bell’s white suits and Esther Rantzen’s dancing, Roy Hattersley made the sensible point in last week’s Times that parliamentary parties lack a coherent ideology. He then implied that independent MPs were a waste of space.

Terry Waite – lets hope he stands as an Independent – disagrees profoundly with Roy Hattersley – READ FULL ARTICLE at Times Online

Make My Vote Count – Campaign News Referendum 2010 launched

Referendum 2010 Campaign

referendum 2010 logo

The campaign is now publicly launched.  A broad range of civil society organisations and individuals have come together to call for a referendum on the day of the next general election to change the way we elect our MPs.  Add your name to the list of supporters.

Our message is simple and strong: real change, not just new faces. An end to safe seats and seeming jobs for life for some MPs. Remove the power that MPs have to decide how they are elected … and give that to the voters instead. Bring in greater accountability for those who represent us; and greater choice at the ballot box in the first place.

At the next general election, we want to give voters the chance to register their feelings twice: once to get rid of a tainted MP; and once to get rid of a rotten system and change things for good. One vote to elect a fresh face to represent them; and one vote (in a nationwide referendum) to bring a fresh start to politics.

– launch letter in The Observer – signed by a range of leading figures from across the cultural, academic, political and civil society worlds.
– accompanying article and editorial in The Observer.
– explanatory webpage on ERS site  (a campaign website will go live in a few days)
– ERS press release welcoming Alan Johnson’s calls for a referendum

Elections affect all of us; this campaign is about all of us. We want your vote to count the same wherever you live and whoever you are. A list of influential people may have been necessary to launch the campaign and get media coverage, but now it is your turn to star.

What you can do:

1) Show your support for the campaign – add your name to the list of signatories. Sign up online now.  Alternatively, email malcolm@makevotescount.org.uk

NB: The official campaign website, messaging, actions and spokespeople will be announced and rolled out over the next week.

Posted: 24/05/09

The letter that officially launches our campaign

Signalling the full public launch of our campaign for an election day referendum on the voting system, today in The Observer the following letter has been published:

The expense crisis reveals a nation governed by a political elite that has stopped listening and who are accountable to no one but their party machines. Too many MPs seem more interested in changing their homes than changing the world. Our society faces real problems – mass unemployment and growing poverty, the threat of climate chaos and an erosion of our civil liberties to name but three. These all require effective government working on behalf of the popular will. Yet our whole political system is close to collapse. We demand a new electoral system that makes everyone’s vote count.

On the day of the next general election, there should be a binding referendum on whether to change to a more proportional electoral system. This should be drawn up by a large jury of randomly selected citizens, given the time and information to deliberate on what voting system and other changes would make Parliament more accountable to citizens.

We demand the right to be able to vote for a change:

(signatories)

Helena Kennedy, QC;  Philip Pullman, author;  Damon Albarn, musician;  John Sauven, Greenpeace;  Martin Bell, anti-sleaze campaigner; Richard Wilson, actor; Polly Toynbee, journalist; Susie Orbach,  author and psychologist; Jonathan Pryce, actor;   Caroline Lucas, leader Green party;  Brian Eno, musician;  Neal Lawson, Compass;  Ken Ritchie, Electoral Reform Society;  Colin Hines, Green New Deal; Matthew Taylor (personal capacity), RSA;  Hari Kunzru, author; Mark Thomas, comedian;  Oona King,  ex Labour MP;  Michael Brown, journalist and ex-Tory MP; Pam Giddy, Power Inquiry;  Salma Yaqoob,  Leader Respect; Wes Streeting, President NUS; Gordon Roddick; Lisa Appignanesi, Chair of PEN; Prof James Forrester; Carmen Callil, author and publisher; Sunder Katwala, Fabians; Billy Bragg, musician; Sam Tarry, Chair Young Labour; Peter Facey, Unlock Democracy; Prof David Marquand; Dave Rowntree, musician; Richard Reeves, Demos; Ann Pettifor, Advocacy UK; Prof Richard Sennett; Sunny Hundal, Liberal Conspiracy; Anthony Barnett, openDemocracy; Richard Grayson, Social Liberal Forum; John Harris, journalist; Pete Myers, enoughsenough.org; Steve Richards, journalist; Tony Robinson, actor; Richard Murphy, Tax Justice; Jeremy Leggett, Solarcentury; AC Grayling, philosopher; Katie Hickman, author; Benedict Southworth, World Development Movement; Lance Price, journalist; Ann Black, Labour activist; Peter Tatchell, Human Rights campaigner; Hilary Wainwright, Red Pepper; David Aaronovitch, journalist; Kevin Maguire, journalist.

via makemyvotecount.org.uk

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Is Britain run by a vast liberal-left conspiracy?

Liberal Conspiracy is a political magazine and discussion site in the form of a multi-author blog.

They say;

We aim to bring together and re-invigorate the liberal-left in Britain through discussion and campaigning. To read answers to more such questions, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

Mission Statement

Is Britain run by a vast liberal-left conspiracy? Conservatives are often determined to find such plots stretching from the media and government to public services and other organisations.

Yet the reality suggests otherwise. Not only is public debate in Britain often lacking in left-liberal energy, if there was a vast conspiracy then it is way too disorganised and dysfunctional. Most of us believe in freedom, transparency, human rights, democracy and the public good. But somehow that isn’t what we usually end up with.

We don’t want to define what being part of the liberal-left means because that limits us. We want you to tell us where the liberal-left should be going and why.

Liberal Conspiracy is a space for us to:

1) Have an intelligent conversation about liberal-left ideas and values.
We want to do this by involving commentators from newspapers and magazines, thinkers, analysts, academics and think-tanks, but also ordinary citizens (through blogging) who are too often shut out of this debate.

2) Campaign for liberal-left policies and causes.
The internet helps citizens to get connected, organise and make our voice heard better than ever before. We want to open up a new space for individuals and campaigning groups who support liberal-left causes to come together and make change happen.

3) Get organised.
We can no longer depend solely on political parties, trade unions or fragmented single-issue lobby groups to drive change. The internet gives us new tools to organise ourselves from the grassroots, all around the country. It’s not about replacing older institutions, but building new ones to join them. We want to strengthen democratic liberal-left organisations, local and national, so this movement can be sustained over the long term. We want to be that online hub of information and collaboration.

Go to their site to see a wide range of articles and other stuff –  liberalconspiracy.org

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Keele University – list of British Political Parties

via psr.keele.ac.uk

Massive site of UK and global political parties and organizations.

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Reforming UK Politics – you might want to link up with 38 Degrees

via 38degrees.org.uk

They say:
Watch our video to find out what we are all about and why you should join us.
38 Degrees does not back any particular political party. We believe the interests of society as a whole should come before the self-interest of the few, and that long-term thinking should come ahead of short-term fixes. We will act to advance fairness, defend rights, promote peace, preserve the planet and deepen democracy in the UK.
38 Degrees are inspired by how organisations like GetUp.org.au in Australia, Avaaz.org globally and MoveOn.org and BarackObama.com in the USA have made a real impact by providing easy ways for people to take action on the issues they care about.
38 Degrees brings this model of campaigning to the UK and uses the latest technologies to enable people to take action, sometimes online, like a petition or sending an email to your MP or the editor of a local paper; or sometimes offline actions like calling or visiting your MP.
It’s free to sign up and to start receiving campaign emails and if you like what we are doing, you can get involved. Change happens when enough people come together.

Join 38 Degrees and be part of the avalanche for change.

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Resource information: About ‘openDemocracy’

I am forwarding this information as a major source for those interested in helping get real democracy in the UK;

openDemocracy offers in-depth news analysis and commentary from a pro-Democracy, pro-Human Rights perspective

openDemocracy is committed to human rights and democracy. We aim to ensure that marginalised views and voices are heard. We believe facilitating argument and understanding across geographical boundaries is vital to preventing injustice.

open Source

openDemocracy aims to build the open source model for news analysis and opinion. Look here if you want to join in.

Beyond and behind the headlines

We won’t tell you what to think. We offer you a spectrum of ideas, from the people who have lived through the events, from those on the ground making a difference, from scholars with expert knowledge. In-depth, independent, inside.

Our writers provide you with the background information you need to challenge the politics of any place. Every day, we publish new articles and opinions…sign up for our regular emails or subscribe to our RSS feed for constant updates.

50.50 – towards democratic debate

A global debate without the female half of humanity is neither global nor democratic. With this in mind, openDemocracy’s 50.50 initiative is building a series of editorial projects designed to make openDemocracy a current affairs forum which is written, read and used equally by women and men.

A place to reflect – a place to be heard

Through our forums you can challenge our authors, question our visitors, express your views and read those of others. Help shape the world in conversation with other informed and opinionated citizens everywhere.

Become part of our global network. Come to our forums and tell the openDemocracy network what you think.

Support openDemocracy – Free thinking for the world

Everything on openDemocracy is free to read and free to share. It’s not free to produce. Your support helps keep us independent and open to all – no matter where they live or what they earn.

Make a donation now

Our Supporters

openDemocracy is a UK educational not-for-profit which has been supported by a number of Trusts and Foundations as well as individuals since 2001, they are all listed here. In the UK it can be supported by charitable grants and gifts to the openDemocracy programme of The Open Trust, a registered charity; in the USA, it can be supported via openDemocracy (USA) Incorporated, an independent 501(c)(3) with an openDemocracy programme.

Contact us

openDemocracy

PO Box 49799, WC1X 8PQ

Telephone: (+44) (0) 20 7193 0676

Contact us with Skype: our username is opendemocracy

For general enquiries please contact: info@openDemocracy.net

via opendemocracy.net

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Why are the Tories now the only major party not in favour of Fair Voting?

Labour is now coming out in favour of Fair Voting.  The Lib dems have always seen it as a cardinal element in social justice and real democracy.  Why are the Conservatives the only major party to have not committed themselves to Fair Voting?  What does this say about them when they pretend to be in favour of reform?
SEE – http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6365017.ece

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

OBSERVER (UK Newspaper) – Parliament in crisis: When will MPs start to listen to the people? | Politics | The Observer

I am forwarding this article from the Guardian that idicates the growing demand that all political parties get committed to real reform of our political system.  It is to be found in the Guardian Sunday 24th May 2009;

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Parliament in crisis: When will MPs start to listen to the people?

The expense crisis reveals a nation governed by a political elite that has stopped listening and who are accountable to no one but their party machines. Too many MPs seem more interested in changing their homes than changing the world. Our society faces real problems – mass unemployment and growing poverty, the threat of climate chaos and an erosion of our civil liberties to name but three. These all require effective government working on behalf of the popular will. Yet our whole political system is close to collapse. We demand a new electoral system that makes everyone’s vote count.

On the day of the next general election, there should be a binding referendum on whether to change to a more proportional electoral system. This should be drawn up by a large jury of randomly selected citizens, given the time and information to deliberate on what voting system and other changes would make Parliament more accountable to citizens.

We demand the right to be able to vote for a change:

Helena Kennedy
QC
Philip Pullman
author
Damon Albarn
musician
John Sauven
Greenpeace
Martin Bell
anti-sleaze campaigner
Richard Wilson
actor
Polly Toynbee
journalist
Susie Orbach
author and psychologist
Jonathan Pryce
actor
Caroline Lucas
leaderGreen party
Brian Eno
musician
Neal Lawson
Compass
Ken Ritchie
ERS
Colin Hines
Green New Deal
Matthew Taylor (in personal capacity)
RSA
Hari Kunzru
author
Mark Thomas
comedian
Oona King
ex Labour MP
Michael Brown
journalist and ex-Tory MP
Pam Giddy
Power Inquiry
Salma Yaqoob
Leader Respect
Wes Streeting
President NUS
Gordon Roddick
Lisa Appignanesi
Chair of PEN
Prof James Forrester
Carmen Callil
author and publisher
Sunder Katwala
Fabians
Billy Bragg
musician
Sam Tarry
Chair Young Labour
Peter Facey
Unlock Democracy
Prof David Marquand
Dave Rowntree
musician
Richard Reeves
Demos
Ann Pettifor
Advocacy UK
Prof Richard Sennett
Sunny Hundal
Liberal Conspiracy
Anthony Barnett, openDemocracy
Richard Grayson, Social Liberal Forum
John Harris, journalist
Pete Myers, enoughsenough.org
Steve Richards, journalist
Tony Robinson, actor
Richard Murphy, Tax Justice
Jeremy Leggett, Solarcentury
AC Grayling, philosopher
Katie Hickman, author
Benedict Southworth, World Development Movement
Lance Price, journalist
Ann Black, Labour activist
Peter Tatchell, Human Rights campaigner
Hilary Wainwright, Red Pepper
David Aaronovitch, journalist
Kevin Maguire, journalist

via guardian.co.uk

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Resources re Fair Voting (Proportional Representation)

The main task concerning political reform is to convey effectively to the voters what Fair Voting means and what are its benefits.
An introduction to Fair Voting is to be found HERE
The Wikipedia article is even more comprehensive.
To start taking action go to – Make My Vote Count which is HERE

Resources for understanding Fair Voting and Reform of UK parliament: What do the Scots have that we don’t?dia, extract

I am forwarding an extract from the WikiPedia site that shows what the Scots have and what we are missing.  Now is the time to reform our system;

Members, constituencies and voting systems

The 2003 election’s 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament; 73 represented individual constituencies and 56 represented eight additional member regions.

Elections for the Scottish Parliament were amongst the first in the United Kingdom to use a mixed member proportional representation (MMS) system.[63] The system is a form of the additional member method of proportional representation (PR), and is better known as such in the United Kingdom. However, there are additional member systems, elsewhere in the world, which are not designed to produce proportional representation.

Of the 129 MSPs, 73 are elected to represent first past the post constituencies and are known as “Constituency MSPs”.[6] Voters choose one member to represent the constituency, and the member with most votes is returned as a constituency MSP. The 73 Scottish Parliament constituencies shared the same boundaries as the UK Parliament constituencies in Scotland, prior to the 2005 reduction in the number of Scottish MPs, with the exception of Orkney and Shetland which each return their own constituency MSP. Currently, the average Scottish Parliament constituency comprises 55,000 electors.[64] Given the geographical distribution of population in Scotland, this results in constituencies of a smaller area in the Central Lowlands, where the bulk of Scotland’s population live, and much larger constituency areas in the north and west of the country, which have a low population density. The island archipelagos of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles comprise a much smaller number of electors, due to their disparate population and distance from the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.[64] If a Constituency MSP resigns from Parliament, this triggers a by-election in his or her constituency, where a replacement MSP is returned from one of the parties by the plurality system.[63]

The remaining 56 MSPs are elected by the additional member system. In each Scottish Parliament election, electors have a second vote, where they vote for a party instead of a constituency representative. These 56 are elected in eight different electoral regions, of which constituencies are sub-divisions.[65] Each region returns seven additional member MSPs. The eight regions are: Highlands and Islands; North East Scotland; Mid Scotland and Fife; West of Scotland; Glasgow; Central Scotland; South of Scotland; and Lothians. Each political party draws up a list of candidates standing in each electoral region.[66] The total number of seats in the Parliament are allocated to parties proportionally to the number of votes the party received in the second vote of the ballot, calculated by dividing the number of “list” votes cast for a party by the number calculated from the number of constituency seats won in that region, plus the number of already-allocated “list” seats won in that region, plus one (to prevent division by zero), and the party with the largest number of votes remaining is allocated the first “list” seat. This is repeated iteratively until all available “list” seats are allocated.[66] The number of seats remaining allocated to that party are filled using members from the party’s list.[66] These members are called “List MSPs”. If a List MSP resigns from the Scottish Parliament, he or she is replaced by the next member on the party list.[67]

As in the House of Commons, a number of qualifications apply to being an MSP. Such qualifications were introduced under the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 and the British Nationality Act 1981. Specifically, members must be over the age of 18[68] and must be a citizen of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, one of the countries in the Commonwealth of Nations, a citizen of a British overseas territory, or a European Union citizen resident in the UK.[69] Members of the police and the armed forces are disqualified from sitting in the Scottish Parliament as elected MSPs, and similarly, civil servants and members of foreign legislatures are disqualified.[69] An individual may not sit in the Scottish Parliament if they are judged to be insane under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983; if they are subject to a Bankruptcy Restriction Order (in England and Wales only) or if his or her estate is sequestered (in Scotland).[69]

via en.wikipedia.org

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

Resources for Fair Voting and Electoral Reform in the UK: Fairshare – Scotland’s Campaign for Local Democracy

Posted via web from sunwalking’s posterous

How do we break the Tory-Labour strangle-hold on the UK Parliament?

My belief is that, apart from Fair Voting, the thing UK political reform most needs is a 25% cohort of Independents to break the Tory-Labour strong-hold.  It has served us badly over the last 50 years.

This belief takes a bit of a dent when you read David Aaronovitch’s Times Online article, That’s life. Esther won’t clean up Westminster.

But is the picture as negative as he paints?

He argues;

………………………..So for yet other people the possibility of quiet revolution resides in getting a large number of Martin Bell-type independents to stand against expense-tarnished MPs. Such independents – emboldened to stand by the real possibility of busting the party system – might, one would think, provide an infusion of new blood to replace those politicians we may now lose as result of the assault on politics. There has even been a rumour of Esther Rantzen at Luton South.

………….Even incorruptibles like Esther might find it hard when journos start poring over bought copies of BBC expenses going back three decades.

But the real problem for independents is their independence. Mr Bell found himself expected to scrutinise and to vote on hugely complex legislation, without the benefit of party advice and research. When instead he chose to concentrate on constituency work, he was criticised for a poor voting record. For independents it is either whip or whim.

When I met the independent candidate for Wyre Forest, Dr Richard Taylor, before the 2001 election, there were 19 local councillors who had been elected on his local NHS campaign ticket. This party, still in existence, promises consultation, a “bottom-up” approach and a freedom from “party dogma”. But eight years on, local turnout remains the same as it was before, and the Taylor group has lost nearly half its councillors.

The independent MP for Blaenau Gwent also offered a “political revolution” on his election in 2006. He set up People’s Voice as a party, with much the same prospectus as the Wyre Forest independents – all love, listening and localism. “This political tidal wave cannot stop here,” says the People’s Voice website, now largely not updated for two years. More cobwebsite really.

There’s a reason why this arc of independence seems inevitable. Politics, local or national, requires hard work, high commitment and good organisation. Opposing stuff in detail is difficult enough; actually running things is much worse. And when you do…

For a few years I was a parent governor for a state primary school. Every summer we had to organise an AGM for parents. We wrote reports, handed out leaflets, thought up attractive issues to discuss, and out of 650 possible sets of parents and carers we never managed to get more than 30 people to turn up. These were the same 30 who did everything else as well. Only if something went wrong did the cry go up for consultation.

In Britain disillusion with politics is usually a pre-emptive excuse. If “they” are all as bad as each other, then “we” have no responsibility to get involved, to understand the issues or join parties. Worse, we create a way of having our cake and eating it. We tell pollsters that we favour capital punishment, but without the least expectation – or desire – that Parliament will do as we say. That way we can moan about how out of touch they are, without having ourselves to shoulder the guilt of judicial murder. And so it is on so many subjects.

It is said, often, that our problem is greed. I disagree. The missing link here is civic engagement and I am beginning to think that the answer to the need for renewal is forcible and massive decentralisation of power. The voter’s answer, however, will instead be victory for David Cameron in 2010. Let him sort it all out – till it’s time for another flush.

.

Aaronovitch is absolutely right that what is needed is a massive generation of civic engagement via de-centralization.  In this school and adult education need to play vital parts.

We do have an ‘engagement crunch’ but potentially though the expenses anger is the first step in transformation.  The question is whether this anger will get channelled into effective action – into sustainable increased engagement – or subside back into whimpering acceptance of, in effect, the current version of the class system.

Let’s give it a go – it might be another 50 years before the next opportunity to get a reformed UK political system.

One other argument concerns the difficulties Independents have had.  My answer is let the new Independents learn the skills needed to group and re-group around issues, and find ways of providing for themselves the benefits normally only available from whipped membership of a party.

Not so long ago the first working-class MPs or the first women found themselves in the ultimate Gentlemen’s club.  Did they just say ‘Oh its difficult, let’s pack it in.’?

This time the new gals and guys don’t need just more womens’ lavatories but they need firstly a new set of skills to work with each other AND with the parties.  Secondly they need to demand that Parliament itself respond to the needs they have to function effectively.

Its called change, adaption, response from the system, reform – and progress!

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DA’s article is at timesonline.co.uk

What does Dr Richard Taylor have to say about being an Independent MP?

Today’s Independent carries a question and answer article with Dr Richard Taylor, The Independent MP for Wye Forest, who says “Thank goodness I do not have to join a party.”

Dr Richard Taylor: Thank goodness I do not have to join a party

The article presents questions from members of the public to Dr Taylor and his answers.  Here are the first few;

What’s it like being the only MP anyone still respects? DANIEL LUFF, Wigan

I am very flattered to have respect. I am quite sure that when the details of all MPs are known, there will be a lot of others who have not used the system for personal gain.

I remember you winning your seat with a campaign to save Kidderminster Hospital, but I can’t remember what happened next. Did your campaign succeed? If so, will you be standing down? FARAH PERRIN, Dundee

Kidderminster Hospital was drastically downgraded in September 2000, before I was elected in June 2001. Since my election, a wide range of elective surgery has returned to Kidderminster and there have been improvements to urgent care, but I continue to fight for more.

Have you ever made any regrettable expenses claims? ALEX MURTY, Leeds

No. I have published my expenses online, so you can see for yourself.

Is it true that the atmosphere in Westminster is one in which suicide would not be surprising, or is it the ridiculous exaggeration I suspect? GORDON HARRISON, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

I hope it is an exaggeration. However, I am worried at the unfair pressure being put on staff in the Fees Office.

Do you think the anger on expenses is going overboard? LILA HARRIS, London

No, because it is also anger against a failing parliamentary system on the wider issues of holding the Government to account.

Do you think it’s a disadvantage to getting things done in Westminster for your constituents that you’re not part of any party? NEIL WISE, London

No.

Would you consider joining the Jury Team independent coalition? YVETTE UNWIN, Durham

I have made my support for the Jury Team very clear.

Do you think there should be a general election? THOMAS CURZON, Poole, Dorset

Yes, but perhaps in the autumn of this year rather than immediately.


To read the full article go to the Independent HERE

Can prospective Independent MPs trust Cameron and Clegg’s ‘welcome’?

Can prospective Independent MPs trust Cameron and Clegg’s ‘welcome’?

Are Cameron and Clegg both zealous for reform on everything – except that which actually matters?

Both have said positive things about the prospect of many more Independent MPs.

Cameron welcomed the idea and said that they should come within the Tory fold.

Prospective MPs however should read the small print.  Cameron also said, as something of a self-contradiction, that of course Independents would also be bound by collective responsibility concerning leadership policies and what was in the manifesto.  How much does that leave Independents to be independent  about?

Mr Clegg said he would only support a general election if it was a catalyst for sweeping parliamentary reforms.

“I would like to see an election yesterday [but] I think it would be a massive betrayal if we were to have a few new faces but the same old rotten rules. We’ve got to use this election to change the rules,” he said.

“It would be a great betrayal if we don’t rebuild British politics.”

Listing new rules for party funding, an elected House of Lords and forbidding MPs to have second jobs as key to reform, Mr Clegg said: “Look at the murky way in which parties are funded…

“If you don’t now deal with party funding I can bet you I’ll be sitting in this seat in six months time talking about a funding scandal.”

On second jobs, he said: “What MPs are there for…is to represent constituents. I don’t think they can do that if they’re running mini businesses of their own.”

Calling the House of Lords a “clapped out 19th Century chamber”, he added: “The House of Lords is a standing offence to everything I believe in.”

Mr Clegg then went onto welcome independents running for parliament: “I really welcome a lot of independents coming in and saying – I’m going to challenge these party stooges.

“New independent candidates throw down a challenge to all party MPs to do better,” he said.

He also denied he’d benefited from the Speaker’s departure, and said all candidates – from any party – must be “zealots for reform”.

The electorate and or commentators still aren’t getting the really important points.  – the ABC of the situation.  Independents are necessary and vital precisely because we are sick of tired Toryism and Labourism.  The ABC of the situation is;

A) Fair Voting (Proportional Representation).  The Lib Dems aren’t talking about it.  Why?  The only person I heard mention it was the Labour MP Austin Mitchell!

B) MPs should be free to group around and vote on issues as mandated by their electorate and or their consciences. This might mean voting occasionally or frequently with one, or more, Party groups. For this they need skills of consultation and dialogue to rapidly group and re-group – skills that perhaps are not highly developed in some of today’s MPs.

C) The need to operate with transparent accountability.

MPs expenses trough – how deep is David Cameron’s snout?

See HERE

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Demand Fair Voting in the UK – What can you do? – see Make My Vote Count