I Have A Dream.
 

With an acknowledgment to Martin Luther King.

In his opening post at http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f69/accyweb-elections-37647.html entwisi asked what sort of a manifesto people would adopt if they had the opportunity.

Although a first rate topic for discussion it was slightly flawed in that asking for a manifesto was asking for too much. I started to write my own but quickly realised that it would be far too long for meaningful discussions.

So I am resurrecting his idea but instead of a complete manifesto just one part of one. Things like Parliamentary Reforms, Taxation, Law And Order, Health Education, Public Transport, Energy etc. with a separate thread for each one.

So to set the ball rolling –
Parliamentary Reform.

Major reforms are needed and to this end party politics would be abolished. A country this size does not need 650 odd MP’s let alone they voting along party lines. Less than half that number could do the job just as well.

Each county would be a constituency where up to 5 MP’s would be elected on their own personal manifesto. How many MP’s would be determined by the number of eligible voters in the county. Thus a sparsely populated county would have fewer MP’s than a heavily populated one. For England there would be less than 250 MP’s.

A parliament to last for 4 years. No early elections at the whim of the PM.

The elected MP’s would select and vote for a PM, the cabinet and the ‘Speaker’. The MP’s could thus also vote out someone who is not doing the job properly.

Each MP would be required to vote in line with his manifesto. If an issue is not in the MP’s manifesto that MP could vote as his/her conscience dictates but preferably seeking guidance for the constituents.

MP’s would be required to attend the House every day – that is 9:00am to 6:00pm (1 till 2 for lunch) Tuesday to Friday. This would leave Mondays free for the MP to hold ‘surgeries’ in his/her constituency.

Do away with all the historical waffle that goes on and in particular with ‘talking out’ a proposed bill.

MP’s would not be allowed to have second jobs, consultancies etc. The taxpayer pays their salaries so they should serve the paymaster fulltime.

MP’s would be given government funded accommodation in either purpose built accommodation or local hotels. No second homes at the country’s expense.

The salary should be commensurate with the importance of the job. Running the country is a very important job so the MP’s salary should be £125,000 pa with a capped allowance to run a constituency office. £150,000 pa for cabinet ministers, with £175,000 pa for deputy PM and £200,000 pa for PM.

Prospective candidates would be government funded for their electioneering. No donations allowed.

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Proportional representation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So you want proportional representation then?

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

I think term limits are a good idea , 3 X 4 year term, 12 years is long enough for a regular MP, keeps them in reality and stops the idea of 'professional' politician

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

I think that the "Peoples Charter" of 1838 is a good enough basis ... the only one of the six points not adopted is that there should be elections once a year ... I like this idea ... keeps politicians honest ... well, if not honest, at least accountable.

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Proportional representation might not be a bad idea ... over here in the Great White North, a party can get a majority with less than 40% of the popular vote. Parties such as the Greens are now getting a much larger share of the vote ... in recent by-elections they out polled the NDP candidate in one riding and the Liberals in another, and yet with more than 10% of voters favoring them (and it is going up all the time) they have no representation in Parliament. When a national leader like Stephen Harper who leads a minority govt. stands up and says the usual thing: "I'm sure I speak for all Canadians ..." most Canadians say, "Bulls**t! The hell you do. With proportional representation, the majority would not be ruled by the minority.

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

I agree 650 is possibly too many but I think 250 is not enough. I would propose about 400 MPs all of them independent.

They would be elected on a rotational system, much the same way that the council is selected i.e. up for election every four years but only a quarter up for election at any given time. This would mean that people would stop voting for the party that they wanted in power but would vote for the individual in their constituency.

The Prime Minister would be voted for independently by the people, in much the same way as the US president is elected.

I would say that they had to be present in parliament for a minimum of 150 sessions per year rather than four days a week, this would allow them to manage their time better with whatever bills were being discussed.

I would also put in place a mechanism so that each MP had a consultation period with constituents - this could either be a cross party steering group or a local poll system so that we could have more influence on the MPs voting patterns.

I would also do away with the long summer break - they're not school children and why should we allow the people who are running this country to all go on holiday at the same time, it wouldn't be allowed in a big business.

I believe that MPs earn every penny so I don't begrudge them a good salary. I would put a mileage allowance on so that dependent on where they live they get a set amount of travel allowance per year - whether they spend that on planes, trains or automobiles is up to them.

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

I have a dream on a regular basis but as i`m not allowed into the over 18 section i dare not post a single detail!!!:eek:

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Ask one of the mods and you will be allowed in:rolleyes:

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Only if someone can verify who he/she is. Now, back on thread before he notices.
:nono8:

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Yes Less you are right about the verification. Sorry for the thread wander:p

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Not really a problem these things happen in conversation. :)

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Do they? Thought it wasn't allowed:rolleyes:

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Proportional Representation implies political parties.

So no I wouldn’t like Google Page Ranking.

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Any political system will have parties. Parties are simply a loose alignment of people with similar thinking, and you're always going to get people who agree with each other on lots of issues.

Re: I Have A Dream.
 

Stands to reason. You live in a dream world where the Navy doesn't acknowledge the existence of Vaseline.