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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Time for a Westminster revolution? | Time for a Westminster revolution? |
| (about 19 hours later) | |
| Are we about to see centuries of ritual and tradition overturned? By Brian Wheeler Political reporter, BBC News | Are we about to see centuries of ritual and tradition overturned? By Brian Wheeler Political reporter, BBC News |
| Anyone watching MPs debate emergency reforms to their expenses system will not have detected a whiff of revolution in the air. | Anyone watching MPs debate emergency reforms to their expenses system will not have detected a whiff of revolution in the air. |
| It felt like business as usual in the Commons chamber - the same exaggerated courtesy between "honourable members", the same self-congratulatory jokes. | It felt like business as usual in the Commons chamber - the same exaggerated courtesy between "honourable members", the same self-congratulatory jokes. |
| There was little sense that the ground was shifting beneath the MPs as they spoke. | There was little sense that the ground was shifting beneath the MPs as they spoke. |
| Yet that is what a growing body of opinion believes could be happening - that we are witnessing the dying spasms of a centuries old and peculiarly British way of doing democracy. | Yet that is what a growing body of opinion believes could be happening - that we are witnessing the dying spasms of a centuries old and peculiarly British way of doing democracy. |
| Indeed, so shaken has the political establishment been by the expenses scandal that they are suddenly contemplating all kinds of ideas they had previously rejected as unwise, unworkable or hopelessly idealistic. | Indeed, so shaken has the political establishment been by the expenses scandal that they are suddenly contemplating all kinds of ideas they had previously rejected as unwise, unworkable or hopelessly idealistic. |
| These include (but are not limited to): | These include (but are not limited to): |
| • Proportional representation - Ending what critics see as the inherently unfair "first-past-the-post" system of electing MPs | • Proportional representation - Ending what critics see as the inherently unfair "first-past-the-post" system of electing MPs |
| • Fixed term parliaments - Ending the advantage to the ruling party of choosing the polling date | • Fixed term parliaments - Ending the advantage to the ruling party of choosing the polling date |
| • A written constitution - Setting out voters' rights and limiting the power of government | • A written constitution - Setting out voters' rights and limiting the power of government |
| • A fully elected second chamber - Ending the power of patronage and expelling the few remaining hereditary peers | • A fully elected second chamber - Ending the power of patronage and expelling the few remaining hereditary peers |
| • Curbing the power of the whips - Freeing MPs to to vote with their conscience more often rather than following the party line | • Curbing the power of the whips - Freeing MPs to to vote with their conscience more often rather than following the party line |
| • Fixed terms for MPs - So they do not become too cosy and complacent in their roles | • Fixed terms for MPs - So they do not become too cosy and complacent in their roles |
| • Boosting the power of select committees - Electing the chairmen rather than having them chosen by the whips and handing them greater investigatory powers | • Boosting the power of select committees - Electing the chairmen rather than having them chosen by the whips and handing them greater investigatory powers |
| It could all be a mirage of course. Once there has been a clear out of the bad apples deemed to have broken the rules on allowances, things may well return to normal in the Palace of Westminster. | It could all be a mirage of course. Once there has been a clear out of the bad apples deemed to have broken the rules on allowances, things may well return to normal in the Palace of Westminster. |
| Public pressure | Public pressure |
| There are plenty about the place who would warn against rash action based on a few weeks' bad headlines, and argue that Parliament works perfectly well as it is, all things considered. | There are plenty about the place who would warn against rash action based on a few weeks' bad headlines, and argue that Parliament works perfectly well as it is, all things considered. |
| When MPs defeat the government it is front page news | When MPs defeat the government it is front page news |
| Even those gripped by a zeal for reform could see it steadily dissipated in the familiar round of committees and working groups currently being set up, until everyone starts yawning and wondering what the fuss was about and the media caravan moves on to the next crisis. | Even those gripped by a zeal for reform could see it steadily dissipated in the familiar round of committees and working groups currently being set up, until everyone starts yawning and wondering what the fuss was about and the media caravan moves on to the next crisis. |
| Douglas Carswell, the backbench Conservative MP whose Commons motion helped trigger the downfall of Commons Speaker Michael Martin, believes the window of opportunity for those who want change will last about 12 months. | |
| The reformers' secret weapon, he argues, is public pressure exerted through blogs and e-mail. | The reformers' secret weapon, he argues, is public pressure exerted through blogs and e-mail. |
| "What is going to change things is the internet. It removes barriers to entry to politics. It means Westminster insiders no longer have the monopoly on political opinion." | "What is going to change things is the internet. It removes barriers to entry to politics. It means Westminster insiders no longer have the monopoly on political opinion." |
| Mr Carswell is something of a rarity. | Mr Carswell is something of a rarity. |
| Most new MPs put their head down and get on with the job of climbing Westminster's greasy pole, while at the same time, as we have learned in recent weeks, being inducted into the dark arts of the expenses system. | Most new MPs put their head down and get on with the job of climbing Westminster's greasy pole, while at the same time, as we have learned in recent weeks, being inducted into the dark arts of the expenses system. |
| Career suicide | Career suicide |
| But the Harwich MP, who was elected in 2005, refused to play the game almost from the start, speaking openly of his "revulsion" at the system and how, frankly, he was embarrassed to be an MP. | But the Harwich MP, who was elected in 2005, refused to play the game almost from the start, speaking openly of his "revulsion" at the system and how, frankly, he was embarrassed to be an MP. |
| It was career suicide, in conventional Westminster terms, but to his own surprise it appears to have paid off. | It was career suicide, in conventional Westminster terms, but to his own surprise it appears to have paid off. |
| In his book, The Plan, co-authored with Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who recently became a worldwide hit on YouTube with an attack on Gordon Brown, Mr Carswell sets out 28 steps to "renew our broken democracy" and "get our supine, spineless Parliament off its knees". | In his book, The Plan, co-authored with Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who recently became a worldwide hit on YouTube with an attack on Gordon Brown, Mr Carswell sets out 28 steps to "renew our broken democracy" and "get our supine, spineless Parliament off its knees". |
| The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics Ken Ritchie, Electoral Reform Society | The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics Ken Ritchie, Electoral Reform Society |
| The first two steps were a clean-up of the MPs expenses system and the removal of Speaker Michael Martin. | The first two steps were a clean-up of the MPs expenses system and the removal of Speaker Michael Martin. |
| Mission accomplished there, he might claim, but the real key to change does not lie exclusively within Parliament itself, he argues, but in the way MPs are selected and kept in line by over-mighty party machines. | Mission accomplished there, he might claim, but the real key to change does not lie exclusively within Parliament itself, he argues, but in the way MPs are selected and kept in line by over-mighty party machines. |
| As long as "seven out of 10 MPs believe they have a job for life," he says, there will be scope for "corruption" of the kind seen over expenses. | As long as "seven out of 10 MPs believe they have a job for life," he says, there will be scope for "corruption" of the kind seen over expenses. |
| 'Whips' patsies' | 'Whips' patsies' |
| He wants open primaries, in which all voters in a constituency get to choose the candidates that will stand for Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and the rest rather than party selection committees. | He wants open primaries, in which all voters in a constituency get to choose the candidates that will stand for Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and the rest rather than party selection committees. |
| And he believes voters should be given the power to recall their MPs if they are doing a bad job. | And he believes voters should be given the power to recall their MPs if they are doing a bad job. |
| He is also calling, along with 24 of his Tory colleagues from the 2005 intake, for more direct democracy - allowing part of the Queen's Speech setting out the government's legislative programme to be decided by public petition. | He is also calling, along with 24 of his Tory colleagues from the 2005 intake, for more direct democracy - allowing part of the Queen's Speech setting out the government's legislative programme to be decided by public petition. |
| Douglas Carswell - pictured on an MPs trip to Afghanistan - wants change | Douglas Carswell - pictured on an MPs trip to Afghanistan - wants change |
| Critics have argued that many of these ideas would undermine rather than strengthen democracy, leading to endless, vexatious attempts to de-select MPs, wreck candidate selection and give voice to the lunatic fringe. | Critics have argued that many of these ideas would undermine rather than strengthen democracy, leading to endless, vexatious attempts to de-select MPs, wreck candidate selection and give voice to the lunatic fringe. |
| Mr Carswell argues that they work in America, where open primaries and direct democracy have long been part of the political landscape. It is, he argues, the only way to hand a little self-respect back to the average backbench MP. | Mr Carswell argues that they work in America, where open primaries and direct democracy have long been part of the political landscape. It is, he argues, the only way to hand a little self-respect back to the average backbench MP. |
| "If we get to the stage where we have a general election where every single person returned as an MP had to go through a genuinely competitive contest to get there then I would be proud to be an MP. | "If we get to the stage where we have a general election where every single person returned as an MP had to go through a genuinely competitive contest to get there then I would be proud to be an MP. |
| "Until that happens, we are all the whips' patsies to some degree." | "Until that happens, we are all the whips' patsies to some degree." |
| Dying democracy | Dying democracy |
| The Tory MP may go further than most in his calls for a Westminster revolution - but he is hardly a lone voice in calling for reform. | The Tory MP may go further than most in his calls for a Westminster revolution - but he is hardly a lone voice in calling for reform. |
| Barely a week goes by at Westminster without a seminar or speech on boosting "engagement" with voters. | Barely a week goes by at Westminster without a seminar or speech on boosting "engagement" with voters. |
| The 2006 Power commission, chaired by Labour peer Baroness Kennedy, came up with a whole list of reforms it said was vital to save Britain's dying democracy. | The 2006 Power commission, chaired by Labour peer Baroness Kennedy, came up with a whole list of reforms it said was vital to save Britain's dying democracy. |
| I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat | I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat |
| These included an end to first-past-the-post elections at Westminster and the closed party list system used in European elections, limiting the power of the whips, decentralising power to local councils, tighter regulation of quangos and lobbyists, lowering the voting age to 16 and a cap on party donations. | These included an end to first-past-the-post elections at Westminster and the closed party list system used in European elections, limiting the power of the whips, decentralising power to local councils, tighter regulation of quangos and lobbyists, lowering the voting age to 16 and a cap on party donations. |
| For the Liberal Democrats and others, including a surprising number of Labour ministers, the key is an end to the first-past-the-post electoral system. | For the Liberal Democrats and others, including a surprising number of Labour ministers, the key is an end to the first-past-the-post electoral system. |
| Ken Ritchie, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, says: "The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics. | Ken Ritchie, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, says: "The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics. |
| "We want to see a referendum on the voting system at the next general election so we can let people decide the playing field for politics." | "We want to see a referendum on the voting system at the next general election so we can let people decide the playing field for politics." |
| Gurkha rights | Gurkha rights |
| Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has led the campaign for more transparency in Parliament, is also a strong supporter of electoral reform but, he adds, "the essential thing is to re-balance the power between the executive and Parliament". | Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has led the campaign for more transparency in Parliament, is also a strong supporter of electoral reform but, he adds, "the essential thing is to re-balance the power between the executive and Parliament". |
| Gordon Brown pledged reform when he entered Number 10 | Gordon Brown pledged reform when he entered Number 10 |
| This means strengthening the independence and clout of the average backbench MP to hold the government to account and overturn unpopular legislation - something that currently happens so rarely that it makes front page news when it does, as in the recent vote on Gurkha settlement rights. | This means strengthening the independence and clout of the average backbench MP to hold the government to account and overturn unpopular legislation - something that currently happens so rarely that it makes front page news when it does, as in the recent vote on Gurkha settlement rights. |
| There is also the question of Parliament's rules and procedures - which are sometimes a mystery even to MPs themselves - and the archaic language used in the chamber, which Mr Baker believes distances politicians from those who pay their wages. | There is also the question of Parliament's rules and procedures - which are sometimes a mystery even to MPs themselves - and the archaic language used in the chamber, which Mr Baker believes distances politicians from those who pay their wages. |
| That is why the identity of the next Speaker - who will be elected by a secret ballot of MPs for the first time - will be so important, he argues, although he laughs off suggestions it could be him, saying that would be the "nuclear option" for MPs. | That is why the identity of the next Speaker - who will be elected by a secret ballot of MPs for the first time - will be so important, he argues, although he laughs off suggestions it could be him, saying that would be the "nuclear option" for MPs. |
| Parliament cherishes its rituals and traditions and the Speaker has traditionally seen his or her role as a defender of them - but the pressure will be on the next incumbent to bring about reform. | Parliament cherishes its rituals and traditions and the Speaker has traditionally seen his or her role as a defender of them - but the pressure will be on the next incumbent to bring about reform. |
| Brown's big idea | Brown's big idea |
| And although MPs have proved remarkably resilient at resisting change, Mr Baker believes there is now a "real head of steam". | And although MPs have proved remarkably resilient at resisting change, Mr Baker believes there is now a "real head of steam". |
| "I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century," he adds. | "I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century," he adds. |
| When Gordon Brown gained power two years ago, constitutional reform was his big idea. | When Gordon Brown gained power two years ago, constitutional reform was his big idea. |
| The plans he floated, such as giving MPs the final say over going to war and confirmation hearings for public appointments, are not as far reaching as those being discussed now and were kicked into the long grass by the economic crisis. | The plans he floated, such as giving MPs the final say over going to war and confirmation hearings for public appointments, are not as far reaching as those being discussed now and were kicked into the long grass by the economic crisis. |
| But Mr Brown is said to be open to many ideas that have previously been rejected and is considering a special "constitutional convention" to discuss them. He has also promised an end to the "gentleman's club" arrangement, which saw MPs set their own rules. | But Mr Brown is said to be open to many ideas that have previously been rejected and is considering a special "constitutional convention" to discuss them. He has also promised an end to the "gentleman's club" arrangement, which saw MPs set their own rules. |
| Tory leader David Cameron has also made positive noises about reform - including cutting the number of MPs and slashing unelected quangos. | Tory leader David Cameron has also made positive noises about reform - including cutting the number of MPs and slashing unelected quangos. |
| Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who has long tried to cast himself as a revolutionary force on this issue, has called the current crisis a once-a-generation opportunity to change politics for good. | Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who has long tried to cast himself as a revolutionary force on this issue, has called the current crisis a once-a-generation opportunity to change politics for good. |
| But in the end, it will be down to the public, at the next election, to decide whether democratic reform - previously seen as a rather dusty and arcane subject - is up there with the economy and public services as one of their top priorities at the ballot box. | But in the end, it will be down to the public, at the next election, to decide whether democratic reform - previously seen as a rather dusty and arcane subject - is up there with the economy and public services as one of their top priorities at the ballot box. |
| And whether the new intake of MPs - many of whom may be voted in specifically to clean up the system - will be able to bring about the changes demanded by voters or whether, like generations of new MPs before them, they will be seduced by the history and splendour of their surroundings and gradually lose interest. | And whether the new intake of MPs - many of whom may be voted in specifically to clean up the system - will be able to bring about the changes demanded by voters or whether, like generations of new MPs before them, they will be seduced by the history and splendour of their surroundings and gradually lose interest. |
| Perhaps they will discover, as revolutionaries throughout the ages have claimed, that you can not change the system from within. | Perhaps they will discover, as revolutionaries throughout the ages have claimed, that you can not change the system from within. |
| | |
| Thanks for the hundreds of e-mails you have sent us on this subject. The following reflect the balance of the views received. | |
| Ultimately it is a question of mutual respect. Power has corrupted. The Executive has to a large extent viewed the MP's as voting fodder organised through the whipping system and controlled so much else through patronage. MP's for their part like their safe seats and have been loath to change the iniquitous first past the post system which guarantees that most voters wishes will be ignored. And the public views the whole lot of them, not unreasonably, as being motivated primarily by self interest. Hopefully this 'crisis' of thir own making will result in a real democracy based on TRUST both ways. This means giving power back to the people. It is called democracy. Ralp Wood, Appleby-in-Westmorland | |
| The only honourable thing left to do now is to hold a general election. Let every MP stand up to be counted no matter what their political leanings and let the public decide. We have been robbed by the corrupt financial institutions and business leaders, we are being ripped off by a corrupt gravy train called the EU and now by Parliament all in the name of self interest. The British people are plainly angry and a fresh Parliament is the only way left to help restore some respect in our leaders.David Fidkin, Stone Staffordshire | |
| An interesting article. A reform of Parliament is long overdue (was this not what Tony Blair was originally voted in to do?!!)The sooner we rid ourselves of this archaic and anachronistic pantomime the better it will be for us all. Our much hyped "British democracy" is not what it seems and urgent reform is a necessity.Graham Paterson, Leicester, U.K. | |
| What utter twaddle! It'll take more than an expenses scandal for MPs to decide to ruin this country's constitution. | |
| You've failed to explain how these reforms would reduce corruption. If anything, with the extension of elections to other fields, and the likelihood of cross-party collusion in regular hung parliaments, corruption would increase! | |
| A written constitution would be pointless, too. And while I have sympathy for the complaint that whips have much control over MPs' voting habits, the flipside is that disciplined voting increases accountability of the parties as it's easy to determine what the party's voting record is. | |
| It really is not good enough to derogatise the current system without looking at the impact of the reforms you propose. Each one of them would worsen the political environment we live in.Adrian Kidney, Norwich | |
| Time the countries system of electing MP's was changed. It is disgraceful that the present Labour government was elected with less than a quarter of the vote. | |
| The idea of local selection is also good as it will stop the ofspring of political figures being foisted on the people. | |
| New system for the next General Election please, only please do not lower the voting age to 16, since when were children deemed responsible?John Barton, Alnwick, England | |
| I believe in one of the best quotes ever made by Billy Connolly. | |
| "Anyone with the desire to become a politician should automatically be barred from ever being one!" | |
| If this was a rule we wouldn't be in the mess we are now. Too much self interest and greed is all I can see in Westminster. | |
| Scottish independence now!Paul Reynolds, Bathgate | |
| Most of the suggested changes are hardly groundbreaking - simply sensible, reasonable and necessary. It is surprising though that those who have forced change on moral and financial grounds in just about every other public service have carried on doing exactly those things; Let them eat cake!Mark Jordan, Cardiff | |
| Change? Who will make this happen? Not the oinks in the trough. They are having a great time of things just as they are. Not the sub-species on benefits, or else what would they do if their benefits were stopped? Not the immigrants. The freebies and slothfulness of our elected officials are the very reason they came here in the first place. So who exactly? The indigenous population? I doubt it. The prozac generation are too apathetic to change anything. Most cannot get their heads further than the next football match. | |
| Nope. It will be a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same. Britain's economy will slide a little further down the international ranks. Our yoof will grow a little more violent. The pensioners will grumble each winter and the unmarried mothers will continue to whine about how hard their lives are. | |
| The Salford by-election proves it. the British cannot change. They are trapped in the mirror of their dominions past, their mindless tit-for-tat pursuits of the class war, their weekend allotments, their feeble understanding of anything beyond their own borders. | |
| Poor England! A bit like a Great Aunt really; once the Matriarch, now largely an irrelevance, with deference shown merely because it is the decent thing to do. When finally she passes on, no one will really notice.Marginal review, Maidstone, Kent | |
| How arrogant. My wife came here as an immigrant and hasn't taken a penny off the state (in fact she paid thousands of pounds to the state via university fees), and works very hard as a doctor in an NHS trust where British doctors don't want to work. Your discourteous behaviour is the real problem with Britain.Jim McNulty, UK | |
| Why do we need 647 MP's when 500 are wasted as voting fodder? All the present lot, without exception, should claim the Chiltern Hundred when the next election is called. In the meantime, why don't the 'Hon' members do the honourable thing and reform Parliament for a New Government?Ray Merrall, Edinburgh | |
| Democracy in the UK has long been described as an 'elective dictatorship' and in other, less flattering terms. That it doesn't reflect the etimological ideal of 'rule by the common people', doesn't necessarily mean that the UK needs to abandon its tried-and-tested version of democracy and go all out for whole sale reform. The roots of the current failings of the system lie not in an expenses scandal (oh, what a shock to discover politicians fiddling the books!) but rather in the series of reforms made since the early twentieth century for reasons of necessity, of basic rights, and of simple party politics. No-one would deny that extending the popular vote to women was the right thing to do, however in later years of the 20th century ministers started to distinguish between 'accountability' and 'responsibility', wriggling their way out of blunders that would have led their predecessors to resign on principle. And in the Blair years the Government (in the eyes of many analyst! | |
| s and legal advisers) broke the laws and the very constitution of the land in riding roughshod over the will of Parliament. That the constitution isn't codified certainly is problematic as it has allowed recent Governments to do pretty much whatever they please, regardless of long-established parliamentary principles, on the simple and spurious notion that they have a popular mandate. The growth in power of the Executive branch has gone unchecked for far too long, and needs to be seriously curtailed. In general, however, I don't believe that the UK's political system is in any desparate need for reform.Tom, Hong Kong | |
| Proportional representation is the dumbest idea ever. We don't even use it here in America. Such practices, epecially in multi-party systems leads to a destabalized government and chaos.Tyler Quebedeaux, Church point, La. U.S.A. | |
| Brian Wheeler thinks you might not be able to change the system from within: that's what they've got us for, mate. We are going to change the system - no more free rides or jollies. Make them continuously accountable. Carswell has the right idea.John Olsson, Welshpool | |
| It's not the constitution that's at fault, it's the self-serving politicians. All we need are tougher rules to keept them in line. If the Government can't even get comparatively simple things right, like the Ghurka debacle, then how can we expect them to successfully change the constitution? The British constitution is an extremely intricate and delicate thing and shouldn't be tinkered with. I suspect all we'd end up with is something that worked far less efficiently than the current system.James, Liverpool, UK | |
| We need better informed debate in parliament, faster decisioning making and more review of the executive; so first improvement get rid of this nonsense of "honourable" tag - Speed up debate and act as reminder they collectively allowed a scandalous system to continue.larry Young, Glasgow | |
| Hopefully we can speed things up a bit by signing this: | |
| http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/please-go/Kalvis Jansons, Hitchin, Herts | |
| Perhaps one of the main reforms to the parliamentary system would be to introduce compulsory voting. This would go someway to eliminate the voter apathy allowed to fester in the U.K. | |
| The preferential voting system works perfectly well in Australia where in my opinion has the fairest democratic system in the world. | |
| Colin Smart, Melbourne | |
| I don't think changing the system will do anything. The important thing is whether the MPs are out of touch with real life. That's the issue. The expense claims aren't important. Whether they're a person that would do such a thing isn't important. What's important was their understanding of how real life is for the ordinary citizen was so bad that they got caught out. We don't need to change the system, we need MPs with better understanding of what life is like for the downtrodden masses rather than existing in a middle class vacuum.Robin Arnold, Wolverhampton, UK. | |
| The number of Members of Parliament should be reduced to about 450. Also should be a minimum requirement for the Members present in the House for a debate.Mr E W Pitts, Studley Warwickshire | |
| I think we all know now that the practice of parachuting favoured members of a party into 'safe seats' has been a cause of the rot. | |
| Constituents should be electing people in their communities who they know and trust who has lived amongst them for decades. They don't want some ambitious stranger using these constituencies as springboards for their careers and who: | |
| * can't wait to leave the place on weekends. | |
| * don't understand the spirit of the constituency and its unique set of qualities and problems. | |
| There should be primaries to select each and every candidate, rather than leaving that to the discretion of the parties because the latter method is not democratic and it leads to voter apathy. We should even consider primaries for the PM and ensure that we are never again lumbered with an unelected PM, regardless of his/her hue. | |
| Douglas Carswell is spot on. | |
| If we are to expel the few remaining hereditary peers and instead, elect peers (fewer in number, though), what are we to do with those who received their peerages for 'service' to incumbent governments. | |
| Perhaps all those who wish to remain peers should submit themselves to an election - which should be entirely open and above board. | |
| Secret ballots, nods and winks should go. In this age of information at everyone's fingertips, the need for transparency has never been greater. | |
| Any written constitution must be written with extreme care and should be deliberated upon for as long as it takes to thrash out the issues and iron out the wrinkles. No guillotining. No stifling of debate. No holds barred. The result should serve to limit what the government can do and should assume basic inalienable rights just as the American Constitution does.Jen Cook, | |
| I would support all of the ideas discussed in this article, from proportional represenation onwards. It sounds too good to be true though. Also as this article suggests I worry that when the media stop reporting on the expenses scandal that the pressure will be off and things will go back to normal. | |
| I also didn't know that a Tory MP had written a book on this much needed change, it sounds like Douglas Carswell talks a lot of common sense.Matt, Huntingdon, England | |
| There should be a petition on the Number 10 website stating that the UK has lost confidence in its MPs and there should be a general election before the summer recess so that civil servants etc can organise new procedures over the summer ready for a new Government in the Autumn.Helen Shepherd, Harrow | |
| You may be interested to express your opinion at the following website I have just set up www.aloudvoice.com, to capture the public's views in a way that cannot be ignored.Neil, Droitwich | |
| I'm sorry but in my opinion, reforms would have to be almost total for any Parliament to get to a place where it fairly represents the true wishes of the people without enforcing the majority view on the inevitable dissenting minority. Democracy has a fundamental flaw you see. It can be defined as "two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch".Captain Frantic, Pontypool, Wales | |
| Diane Abbott made an interesting point tonight on BBC 1 that it has been suggested that the Labour party has nothing to lose, anyway. David Cameron is therefore, arguably, the most powerful person this country has seen since Churchill in 1940. | |
| If he goes with the above ideas this country will genuinely change. A direct influence on government, with consequences, may even be a maturing influence on the citizens as well as our politicians. | |
| I live in Woodford Green, so I don't vote, of course. It's not one of the constituencies that can change hands in an election because of its demographic. It never has and it never will. Nothing to do with me, at all.Mike, London | |
| 1. Compulsory voting for the electorate, the opt out is to spoil one's vote and then be counted that way. Our governance should not be decided by a few. | |
| 2 Proportional representation. | |
| 3 Free voting for MP's to end 'Party straight jacket' and so make them accountable to their constituents needs. | |
| All this after sweeping reform to the remuneration of MP's & Ministers.Frances, Shropshire England | |
| I am not sure what I think of most of the suggested reforms, but I am sure they will not reduce corruption. | |
| I suggest the authors actually take a look at what happens in other countries. Did fixed terms stop someone trying to sell Obama's senate seat? And you will find that proportional representation INCREASES the power of party machines because it is through the machines that a prospective candidate gets on the party list. | |
| You will also find that it is coalition governments where corruption and malfeasance is most difficult to police: the last New Zealand government was basically clean but had a scandal prone foreign minister from a minor party. In the UK the minister would have been out of the job, but it takes a brave Prime Minister to let their government fall because a minister from the coalition party is doing something minor like fiddling expenses (in the NZ case it was election expenses).tony, Wellington, New Zealand | |
| David Starkey's suggestion of separating the Prime Minister and the Cabinet from the legislature seems worth considering. It would give more power to the Prime Minister in selecting Ministers, but also give them a wider pool to choose from. In some cases it could facilitate selection of the right person for the job - regardless of political affiliation - as seen by President Obama retaining Robert Gates as the US Defense Secretary. | |
| It could also free up the Commons and Lords from the Whips rule and enable them to really scrutinise Government proposals/actions/legislation.Ken Rennoldson, Bristol | |
| I'm as much of an advocate of political reform as the next idealistic politics student. But from what I've gleaned from my studies, we need to be realistic. What government is going to bite the hand that feeds it? The appointed Lords stand as the greatest obstacle to reform. Our only hope for any real democratic development is for this Government or the next to finally let the public decide who fills those red benches.Dan, Durham | |
| "Let he who is without sin......" | |
| Clean up the system ? Yes...but not at the expense of the honest sitting members. We in Fareham are very fortunate in this respect...an MP to respect and trust, who does a great deal for all constituents.Ivor Dugdale-Jenkins, Fareham, Hampshire | |
| Excellent article. Clearly the UK system works, it just doesn't work that well anymore. I think it is about time the UK had a written constitution and had a fully elected Upper house, just like in Canada, the USA and Australia. The fixed term for parliament is also an excellent idea. | |
| The SNP might have succeeded in changing the political landscape already - you could be in for a hung parliament next time around! Interesting times.Neil, Montreal, Canada | |
| Wouldn't it be great if WHIPS were removed altogether from the political process, so that all MPs can vote on what they believe, and what is good for their constituents, rather than voting which ever way they are told to by the WHIPS. After all, politicians are meant to be acting on behalf of us. P Hunt, Leeds, England | |
| 1. No individual to serve for more than two of the fixed terms. | |
| 2 At least five years experience in local government before being considered for the national parliament.Pete MacGregor, Bradford on Avon, UK | |
| Be very carefull with changing your first past the post system. In Australia it has given just one or two people, the power to control the whole system, and not even be on the elected list, say the greens put up two people but get 2% giving them 3 spots then they can put in anyone they like to fill the 3rd spot. Last year one person refused to pass a bill untill he was promised over 700 hundred million to be spent in his electrice. BE CAREFULL WHAT YOU WISH FORRon Arnfield, Perth Ausytalia | |
| Roll on Democracy, Swiss-style Direct Democracy. | |
| At no point in the entire history of Britain have The People ever expressed - in a referendum - their desire to have all political power monopolised by (so-called) "representatives". | |
| It is The People who should be allowed to decide - DIRECTLY - on reforms to THEIR government, not self-serving professional politicians who have proven themselves untrustworthy. | |
| Let The People decide, directly. It is - after all - their country. Isn't it??????Stephen Morris, | |
| The last thing we should do in these difficult times would be to rush into fundamental change of our governance. Evolution is always better than revolution. We must settle down, get through the current crisis, sort out the public debt and then give real thought to the way forward.Roger Parkes, T Wells | |
| "They sentenced me to 20 years of boredom, for tryin' to change the system from within, I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them, first we take Manhatten, then we take Berlin! | |
| (with thanks to Leonard Cohen.)Peter O'Brien, Bristol | |
| The balance between parliament and executive has shifted far to far towards government which has amounted to an elected dictatorship. Amongst other reforms, there needs to be greater power for select committees, no executive (government)interference in the appointment of select committee chairs and membership; greater power to be taken by the house over the parliamentary time-table; an end to enquiries where the terms of reference are set by those who are to be scrutinised and the house must have the power to set up public enquiries and set the terms of reference. Parliament should run on fixed terms of no more than four years but the power of the house to bring down an executive (by a vote of no confidence) must remain. The second chamber must be wholly elected and there should be considerably more interaction between the two houses through the select committee system. Both houses should be reduced in numbers and the number of government departments and ministers within dep! | |
| artments should also be reduced. Qangos, which are not a formal part of the state structure, should be brought under proper parliamentary scrutiny and control and almost certainly reduced in number and public appointments should be subject to scrutiny. Reform must also be made of the ways and means of candidate selection in order to reduce the power of the political parties - it is ironic that it was not so long ago that party membership was not given on election ballot papers.Kit Powell-Williams, London | |
| It's all window dressing. We'll see no progress at all until the ultimate symbol of our rotten undemocratic system - the monarchy - is abolished.Stephen Simpson, Lerwick | |
| We must without question make Parliament more truly representative of the people's wishes and both able to and accountable for holding government to account. We can not continue with a system in which the elected party, which typically only receives 30% or less of the vote, is able to take such absolute control. That way has taken us into Iraq, has led us to economic catastrophy, has undertaken massive immigration without consultation: it is hard to argue against proportional representation.Roy Jones, Maidenhead, Berks | |
| It's about time the whips were reigned in. If MPs had been allowed to vote with their conscience rather than being told to 'tow the party line' or to 'stay on message' then the recent history of this country wouldn't be as dark as it is. | |
| Well done to all the MPs that are demanding the re-introduction of democracy and a fair, just and accountable system of government.Stephanie Lewis, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | |
| Yes yes yes, to many of the above suggestions and changes needed but how does the Great British public throw off (or at least lesson), the yoke of the party system. It is primarily only interested in its own self-perpetuation. Things have got to change!Monty Larkin, Uckfield | |
| The terms for MP's seems very reasonable. If it was in before we probably wouldn't have this whole expenses scandal situation. The people we rely have taken money they don't need. I'm sure a great percentage of the public can no longer trust them, how can we continue to trust them to run things? | |
| Many of those ideas seem very ideal for these times.Allan, UK | |
| I applaud Douglas Carswell's ideas. What a joy to read. | |
| What MPs and the BBC for that matter fail to grasp is that WE (voters) are going to change things not them. Those who think they can just rearrange the seating in the HOC and put up a few new posters are crackers. | |
| We will get openess and acccountability. | |
| We will be heard and our get the kind of country we want to live in - not a socially engineered one by Labour and her friends. | |
| Wake up!Mrs Crabbitwifey, Planet Hope | |
| Let's hope that this expenses scandal can bring about wholesale reform as this article suggests. However, it requires reformers, both amongst MPs and in the general public to come together, perhaps by forming some kind of pressure group or party, to really push the reform agenda. We need changes which have been properly thought through and which are fair and sensible, not something cobbled together by leaders of the main parties to just win them the next election. | |
| The issue that particularly concerns me is party funding. I find it outrageous that under the present constitutional settlement this could be decided by some cobbled together arrangement between the two parties with no proper reference the wider electorate. Just as we, as the electorate, need to know on what basis MPs get paid expenses and have some influence on how this is done, we should also be involved in the question of how parties are funded. Otherwise, individuals and corporations with large amounts of money are able to buy influence destroying democracy and leading to corruption. | |
| The issue of party funding should be discussed properly out in the open through something like a Royal Commission. Then proposals should be agreed on by the electorate through a referendum. The people should decide on these arrangements, not the political parties and their MPs.Chris Evans, London | |
| I have never paid so much interest in politics until this fiasco. Before i trusted MPs to make decisions that were in the interest of the people, now I think the majority of MPs are putting their own interests first and that think the country owes them something. I also think this is true of the House of Lords with the cash for questions issue, and 2 lords get suspended...suspended?! they should have been fired and stripped of their peerage. I am looking to vote for a party that wants to change the system, change it so that we the people have a say. What littl erespect I had for MPs and Lords, has been lost. And, I dont think anything the current house does will restore that respect.Richard Bennett, Abingdon, Oxford | |
| Ballot papers at general elections should have a new box at the bottom which says "none of the above". | |
| MPs should only get a seat if they actually get 51% or more votes. | |
| Whoever you vote for, the Government always gets in.Graham Southern, Brae, Shetland | |
| It is now time for a major change! I have already placed e-petitions on the Prime Minister's web site - 1. For the constitution to be changed so that electorate is able to deselect a government, and 2. For the Queen to dissolve parliament so that we may have a clean sweep of the current system. We need serious BUSINESS input into how the country is governed and not be conned and given pathetic excuses as to every requirement that is requested. We do not wish to hear "we will look into that", "we will consider the issue" - WE NEED ACTION - as requested and demanded by the electorate!! The government would not be in power if we did not elect them - they should listen to the electorate - or vacate their positions!! - Got the message? - WELL - ACTION!!!!Geoff Grubb, United Kingdom | |
| We have an inferior form of democracy based on representation in parliament, made worthless in recent times as our representatives, represent only themselves. An unwritten constitution has allowed us to drift towards a form of oligarchy. (How else can you explain our involvement in a war without debate) | |
| I would also call on the press to investigate so called 'lobbying' which in the real world is another name for bribery, and further undermines our 'representative democracy'. | |
| One further change I would press for is the addition of a box on the ballot where I can record my vote to indicate I do not like the policies of any of the above candidates or their parties. William Russell, Consett, Co Durham | |
| I'm one of few young people (19) that takes a active interest in politics and how my country is run, and the more I learn about our 'democracy' through Wikipedia and the like, the more disenfranchised I become. | |
| The main reason why voter apathy is so high, and election turnout so low, is that people feel that their voice isn't being heard, and that their vote can't make a difference. With their only participation in the political system being a single vote every 4 years, it's not at all surprising. | |
| Compare that to the Swiss system, where a referendum can be called by the people (a right guaranteed by their constitution), on any legislation that their elected representatives want to pass. Most people have a opinion about what Parliament are up to, and a system of referendums lets people air their opinions via their vote. | |
| Since this MP's expenses fiasco blew up, i've seen Douglas Carswell on TV quite a bit, and found myself agreeing with his every point. Although I won't be using my first vote to support his party (I'm voting for Lib Dem for their own reform policies), i've signed up to his blog, will be buying his book, and I really hope he can help to transform our democracy over the next 12 months. I fear it might be now or never.Nathan Massey, Leeds, UK | |
| Yea though our troughs runneth over,we shall fear no ill for the PM is gutless and will do us no harm, yea though we have milked the system rotten the PMs self righteousness will overshadow us,and we shall keep our cabinet post all the days of our lives, we shall not discuss our coruptness with the media, but we shall brazen it out and say, we acted within the rules,surely the john lewis list plus expenses will follow us all the days of our parliamentary coruptness,and we shall dwell in the house of splendour forever Amen Daniel james , Stoke on Trent Staffs | |
| Although any kind of proportional representation would be an improvement on our present undemocratic method of electing MPs, the single transferable Vote (STV) has a unique advantage, especially suited to the present crisis of confidence in our MPs. It allows voters to choose between candidates of the same and different parties and to rank them according to preference instead of voting for one and against all the others. That would let voters choose between the very corrupt, the slightly corrupt, the careless and the squeaky clean - to punish the bad and reward the good. | |
| Douglas Carswell MP's suggestion of open primaries is very interesting and would be an improvement on present selection methods but, at the end of the day, voters would still have only one candidate from each party and, because most constituencies are safe, the result in most constituencies would still be known in advance. Consequently most voters would continue to waste their votes. A major advantage of STV is that it combines several open primaries (one for each party) with the election itself. | |
| Anthony Tuffin, Selsey, Chichester, UK | |
| a really good article. Politicians must not believe they are in it for themselves. In fairness the vast majority seem to want to serve their communities, It is time those people took over the debate and worked hard for change. They are public servants who represent people "for the greater good". The rest are in it for themselves. People have no respect for that type of person.Youngsters do watch the news and do feel they are alienated because the example set is selfish and lacking in sympathy for the plight of ordinary people. Ordinary people feel repressed by a power lobby (politicians) who work to keep people "down" - easier to control perhaps...but at last the people will judge the politicians,, democracy dictates more people should have a say...can't trust those entrusted with the task of looking after the masses. douglas selleck, Taplow, South Bucks | |
| Dear Mr Wheeler.. | |
| The changes that you intimate are absolute imperatives and the very minimum that is required. Westminster as it stands is dead in the water. If we wish to avoid massive public disobedience and anarchy then massive change has to be brought in. We will NOT stand for anything less. I am a mild mannered person and been politically apathetic but this current scenario has made me wake up to the corruption and the smugness of our so called political leaders. They have brought this on themselves but for the good of the nation we have to have complete change. Not one of the MP's cited for 'questionable' expenses should still be sitting in parliament. Brown / Cameron and Clegg ALL knew this was coming. All MP's fought for 4 years to deny the publication of their expenses. They put forward members bills to exmpt themselves from Freedom Of Information legislation. They ALL knew this was coming and tried to block it coming out. NOT one of them comes out of this with credit. | |
| Change NOW | |
| S CosgroveStephen Cosgrove, Nailsea Bristol | |
| So they believe they can "drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century". I think we can start by bringing it back to the 17th Century when Guy Fawkes tried to blast it back to the stone age! | |
| ...Wonder if that's a policeman at the door?Ed Neal, Bristol, United Kingdom | |
| I agree entirely with the reforms you mention in this article and the need for radical constitutional reform including Direct Democracy. | |
| Clearly our elected representatives in Parliament can not be trusted and do not listen to what the electorate have been clamouring for, for years. They need to understand that they are the servants of the people and not the other way around. We need to be able to recall MPs that do not perform to the satisfaction of the people that elected them. | |
| We need to get rid of the "gentlemen's club" mentality, bring the politial system into the 21st century and have Government of the people, by the people, for the people via Direct Democracy and proportional representation. | |
| AlexAlex Malcolm, Frome, Somerst. UK | |
| From now on, ALL MPs MUST be selected by the voters in their constituencies. Local party organisations may, if they so wish, offer more than one candidate. BUT there MUST be a right enabling anyone offering themselves for selection by their constituents. Let's end the practice of single candidate choice by moribund local party politicians. Exceptionally for the next general election no existing MPs who have made unreasonable financial claims for subsistence shall be allowed to stand for re-election on the grounds thay have cheated their constituents and our country.John Chesterfield, Hassocks | |
| 1) Get rid of party politics, every MP is accountable to his constituents, no one else. | |
| 2)A revue of an MPs performance of how well he is doing looking after his constituents interests, a confidence vote every year. | |
| 3) No expenses at all, a higher salary only. | |
| 4) No vested interests (outside companies, lobbies etc.. If they are paid they are professionals, and due to the very nature and importance of the job they should have no outside interests). | |
| 5) If anyone wants to be an MP, it must be for the right reasons, not for any personal advantage they may get, monitory gain or a waiting consultancy job on retiring from politics.Tony Cunningham, epping | |
| I don't understand why there isn't a whole lot more direct democracy in the modern internet powered age. I think the petition part of the #10 site could have been a great idea, but they tend to ignore public opinion and replies just suggest the electorate don't understand the issues, it hasn't been explained in enough detail and they are going to go ahead with [whatever] reguardless of public opinion.Jon Cooper, Camborne, Cornwall | |
| Douglas Carswell is to be congratulated on his efforts, however if he/we really believe(s) the old order will allow substantive changes there is a plane leaving for never never land at the bottom of my garden. What has appalled me most of all is the temporary allowances solution. We will note that they have retained the second homes allowance! that does not take away the incentive for MPs to make a profit using the taxpayers back. Second Homes should be limited to rented accommodation only, then I will believe. Phil, Preston | |
| Full Democracy | |
| We have reached the stage now where disillusionment and apathy regarding politics and politicians seriously undermines any claim to a fully democratic form of governance in the UK., where everyone feels involved and is a participant. | |
| As I started to read about the Brave New World of communication called the Internet in the mid- 90's and then went online in 1999, I soon realised the enormous potential for transforming the democratic and political landscape. The problem with political ideologies, is that they are a form of intellectual straitjacket. There are boundaries. If you are a socialist you have to think within socialist boundaries. If you are a capitalist you are confined within those boundaries. Yet, I often find myself agreeing with a little bit of this socialist thinking and a bit of that capitalist philosophy. These idealogical prisons restrict and inhibit our free and unrestricted thought processes. | |
| The Internet provides the framework for a genuinely democratic and inclusive form of government, local and national, truly proportional representation. The various political parties would continue to exist and to espouse their own policies, locally within town, district and county councils and, nationally, in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Every policy, plan, proposal, would be put up on the Internet, which would be accessible in public places, such as town halls, libraries, as well as at home of course. they would be advertised locally and nationally, in the press, radio and TV. The electorate would simply look through the menus and vote for the items they are concerned about. | |
| The role of MPs/councillors would change to that of promoter of their own parties or councils proposals. They would still go out and canvass, to publicise each proposal. There would be broadcasts and advertising to this effect. The representatives, as MP's would become, would only be voting for themselves not on behalf of anyone else. This eliminates the tendency of MP's to vote against the wishes of the majority of their constituents.. It also eliminates the frequent Government habit of creating a manifesto to win votes and, after they are elected, quietly dropping those pledges which are 'inconvenient'. It also wipes out ego-maniacs and control freaks at a stroke. | |
| When voters realise they really do have a genuine say, participation and involvement will greatly increase. Thus, instead of rigid ideologies gaining a stranglehold, the electorate actually get what a majority want. This would end the ridiculous see-saw situation, whereby the two chief political ideologies continually undo what the other has done, causing instability nationally. Nationalise/privatise/renationalise/reprivatise, and so on....... | |
| By this system, no party or colour of council ever has total control of anything....unless the public vote for all of one parties proposals over the others, which is unlikely. Anyway, with new policies or proposals being put up for a vote on a continuous basis, such a situation wouldn't last long anyway. | |
| If people believe in a pure, genuine form of democracy and, I'm not entirely convinced that most do then, this is about as close as it will ever be. | |
| Steve Diamond, Dorset | |
| I think this scandal'll blow over and things will carry on much as before, quite simply because those in positions of power won't want to give up what they've got and those who hope to get in will want all that power when they are in. It's amazing when you watch Yes Prime Minister that that was 20 years ago and yet it could talking about now.Tim Venables, Asuncion, Paraguay | |
| I now have a discomfort and that relates to the quality of media activity. I see a huge amount of speculation, especially from the unelected publicly funded BBC, supported by precious little fact. It is important that you give an account of the facts and try to curtail your own opinions. Whilst it is important for journalists to provide a judgement on the facts, I feel that you are going well beyond that which can be corroborated. Of your 7 bullet points I would like to know which you honestly can identify as information based on fact and from any statistically significant proportion of the political establishment and which are tittle-tattle based on your prejudices. John Davie, Redbourn, Herts | |
| Almost everybody nowadays is involved in some kind of scam, financial services, NHS staff, social services, and now MPs. | |
| Why get hysterical about MPs and use it to further totalitarianise British society by 'reforming' Parliament and finally destroying the British democratic tradition. | |
| IanIan Dunbar, Maidstone | |
| While reform, and particularly clearer and better voting systems, are desperately needed, an elected Lords is the last thing we need. Elected politicians only ever take the short-term view, when what the UK really needs is for at least part of its political establishment to take a long term view. We need more appointed peers, a return to hereditary peers, and more power given back to the monarchy. Only then will we be able to truly tackle the challenges of the coming years.Jack Howard, Leeds, UK | |
| There are a number of reforms that I think are worthwhile, but I hope that the current environment will not allow the fringe to take a hold. Proportional representation is a bad idea, leading to unstable government, which is completely ineffective (e.g.: Italy) and also has the potential to dilute democratic representation (in South Africa, there is no MP... so who do you hold to account for constituency issues). I hope that the drive to modernise doesn't mean losing our wits along the way. And besides, I think many of the historical conventions and traditions of parliament are worthwhile reminders of where we come from. | |
| If we are to have elected Lords, then the party system will simply swallow it up and both houses will be lackeys of government. Hereditary peers may not be a 'fair' way to do it, but it's the randomness of it that provides protection to the political system. If the hereditary peers are to be removed, I wonder if there will be an effective random method to keep the Lords out of the hands of the party in government.Michael Ansley, Aldershot, UK | |
| I like the sound of Mr Carswell's ideas. Our MP's may yet become 'in touch' with real people.George, Woking | |
| While reform is undoubtedly a good thing; the current system allows the voter little real say in some of the major decisions made that affect all of us, there seem to me to be two issues with the suggestions that seem to be being floated. Firstly, a change to an "American system", with a written constitution... the American system is notoriously corrupt, with lobbying groups wielding massive amounts of power, and what is a constitution other than pretty words? Secondly the changes being proposed appear to be completely cosmetic, how would changing the way in which we vote make any real difference? That isnt the issue, but the way that decisions are made. We need more advisory commitees who are actually listened to, and referendums on important issues, not surface reforms devoid of any real clout. Emma Seymour, London | |
| A resounding YES to all seven bullet points identifying desirable change. Our inadeqaute and farcical system is overburdened by symbolism and tradition. I see little evidence of genuine democracy in action. Many people do not bother to vote any more because whichever of the two main parties wins, nothing really changes. Our politicians make the mistake of thinking it is apathy that keeps election turnouts low. It's not... it's anger and frustration. No candidate will get my vote unless reform of Parliament and Government is top of the list on the manifesto. Nothing else is of interest to me.Andy Myers, Goxhill, North Lincs | |
| I am in favour of some system similar to proportional representation as long as the system resolves problems such as no-clear-majority elections. | |
| The problem of coalition governments is one thing since it leads to horse-trading and watering down of ideas. | |
| But an even biger problem is that this system leads to the same representatives being put into public office since they are allocated by party leaders. | |
| That is a total job-for-life scenario and therefore the opposite of what we were trying to achieve. | |
| Because of course it inevitably leads to corruption. For example, I understand that in Belgium the Transport Minister has been in the job for a very long time. The story goes that he has a brother who owns a business making street lights and guess what... Belgium is the only country in the world to have every inch of it's motorways lit by street lights. | |
| Be careful what you wish for - proportional representation of PARTIES is a bad thing if it means that the actual MPs are chosen by a political elite. | |
| Give Labour 100 MPs, for example, and guess who we get... Hazel Blears, Jacqui Smith, Gordon Brown. Basically, all the people that we probably think should be ejected from the political system, we have no way to do that even if we call an election. | |
| Doesn't work, does it? The current system, for all it's failings does at least ensure that a section of the voters can ensure that these people are removed from power. | |
| In essence - simply opting for proportional representation is not enough. We need to consider the objectives and then devise a system that achieves them. And for once, also consider which problems we are trying to prevent/avoid - government are historically really, really bad at seeing how things will be abused/misused. | |
| Because in any walk of life there are always people who will do that if they can - even "honourable" members. | |
| By the way - has the issue of MPs second jobs gone into hiding? My view: if you're an MP you should do that and only that. Tipping the wink to a company on economic policy as a paid director or consultant is effectively insider trading and should be criminal in my view.Chris, uk | |
| We have a Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and Storemont so why not therefore turn Parliament (Commons) into the English Parliament/Assembly to deal with English matters and the House of Lords into the UK (elected) Parliament to deal with UK National interests (defence, foreign policy and whatever else is left over from the EU).David HUXTABLE, Cirencester Glos | |
| For a long time I have suspected that MPs are not to be trusted and mostly "in it for themselves". Now I know that they definitely are. | |
| Parliament needs to be dissolved, power temporarily handed over to the monarchy and a public committee set up, to investigate all of the wrong doings in Parliament and put in place a system that will, mostly, prevent wrong doings again. | |
| Democracy is an illusion and that illusion has been cracked. The only way forward now is to completely reform the system and replace the present bunch of misguided MPs. If that means all of the MPs must be replaced, then so be it. | |
| None of them can ever be trusted again.Gary Bushe, Bristol, UK | |
| My hope is that there are enough 'good' MPs to bring about the change needed. The electorate is helpless, we can only vote for those that we believe can bring about change! what they do when they get there is up to them, remember that they alone have the vote to change the law. We can only hope that there are enough with the guts to do what is right. My fear is that the present scandal will subside and we will end up with a little tinkering and much of the same.Martin Wilson, Maidstone, Kent | |
| Never Proportional representation, under no circumstances should we inflict this mess on ourselves! | |
| The LibDems want it because it would hand power to them (20-25% of the vote), this is worse than the current system.Michael Pearce, Bracknell | |
| It's the share holder who has the ultimate responsibility for bringing about change, in this case the electorate. unfortunately approximately every 5 years we elect on mamifesto and pack up and go home. The apathy of mass majority governance is now apparent, in the appalling squandering of our financial resources by people ill prepared on how to use them, but each minster was given an enormous lottery win to go and spend as and how, no experience needed, a prime minister and his chancellor who presided over deregulization of the banking division, and spent every penny that we had on the get rich quick brigade. Mr Carswell may not be everybodies idea of a prime minister but at least he's got the voters interests at heart, so that's a start in the right direction. Go to my man, and never mind the flak. Keith Wilmore, Goole E Yorks | |
| With the present economic climate as it is then the House of Lords should be reduced to 250 abled bodied persons. the House of Commons reduced to about 300, i.e. one MP per Shire District. Reduce the number of MEPs to Nil.Come out of the Common market and deal with Commonwealth Countries, and finally do away with Councillors who have no place in a modern society.Local Government Officers are well paid, and make all local decisions so why pay Councillors, their meal and travelling expenses together with the cost of Committees, and annual election expenses.Terry Billingham, West Midlands,England. | |
| Please, Are the mass of the people ever going to wake up and see what is going on in this world? This scam is played out time and time again and the public just lap it up and fall for it every time. | |
| Those who really run this world have been steering us towards a world dictatorship for over 70 years. People have been manipulated for years via the media (owned by the very people mentioned above) to believe that parliament is corrupt and that politicians are the lowest of the low. It's just another stepping stone, another seed sown in the public mind. Maybe you deserve what's coming.Barry, | |
| All these reforms need to take place to restore representative democracy to Westminster. | |
| Proportional representation within groupings of several constituences together would ensure there is representation whilst ensuring votes aren't wasted like under first past the post. | |
| We need fixed parliament terms to guarantee that general elections aren't suggested and then denied. | |
| We need a clear, codified, constitution that can been relied on and legally enforced to protect democracy and guard against excesses of the state and the executive. | |
| We need a constitution that addears to the principles of the seperation of powers of the excutive, legislative and judicary. | |
| We need entrenchment of demcracy, otherwise under an uncodified system we see the continuing expansion of the power of the executive and the clamp down on debate and accountbility of the government. | |
| Absolute power leads to corruption. | |
| The power of the party whips stiffles the ability of the individual MP to represent their constituents and the power should be curbed. | |
| The Uk's twin pillars of Parliamentary Supremacy and the Rule of law alone are insufficient to carry the state into the 20th century, let alone the 21st. | |
| Although we elect individual MP's, we have no say over who will run the country and will represent us. Although the prime minister is only the head of government the PM holds many powers of a head of state. Where as in other countries the head of state is elected such as in the USA, Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, etc. | |
| Our head of state (the Queen) reigns but does not rule. If the monarchy is retained, we still require an actual head of state who is elected. | |
| That I why I think we should have a system of government with the honoury head of state (the monarch)(non elected), the real head of state (President/Premier)(elected) who sits outside of parliament and has excutive powers, has advisors for the equivalent of cabinet. The head of government (Prime Minister) sits with the legisaltive in Parliament. The House of Lords should be replaced with 2 bodies the Senate and the Supreme Court. The senate contains senators that are elected representatives that review legislation passed by the lower house and approve, vote down legislation according to the constitution. The supreme court would take over the house of lords other role of being the supreme court of appeal of the judicial system. | |
| We need a federalist democratic constitution akin to the USA, France or Germany. | |
| During the so called war on terror we have also seen the erosion of unprotected civil liberties that should of been protected. Much of the counter terr |