[jambutty]

Our current form of government has been with us for hundreds of years but that is no reason why we shouldn’t look at it again and see if it can be improved and it can.

If you analyse it you will see that the design is such that it makes it extremely difficult, if not actually impossible, to effect any meaningful change to the way that the government is formed. You are asking the people who have the authority to make a change to make a change that will be detrimental to them. It’s a bit like asking the CEO of the business that you work for to take a pay cut and spread the money around the workers. It just won’t happen.

Would President (in all but name) Blair agree to the Cabinet and junior Ministers being nominated by the House? To do so would be to relinquish much of his power and he would never, ever do that and nor would any other PM.

The country’s best hope of getting a different and better government (short of an actual bloody revolution) is to support the Liberals. They are in favour of proportional representation - naturally because they would gain by it as would some of the other minor parties. If enough Lib Dem MP’s get into office to affect the balance of power then there would be a chance.

I didn’t start this thread to champion the cause of the Lib Dems, it’s just that as the third largest party they could bring about a necessary change given the support of the public.

I have three bees in my bonnet – a free vote for MP’s on all issues, proportional representation and the Cabinet and Junior Ministers appointed by the House.

No doubt most MP’s belonging to the party in power would still vote with the government but it would be their choice not an order to do so.
Proportional representation would ensure a fairer representation of the people in Parliament.
The Cabinet would not be populated with the PM’s cronies and thus the PM’s misuse of power would be curtailed.