Democracy or Dictatorship?

pendy · 15-03-2006, 14:46

The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill has now completed its committee stages. No problem?

This Bill, if made law, will empower any minister by order to make provisions amending, repealing or replacing any legislation, primary or secondary, for any purpose.

This would NOT have to be voted on by a full session of the House.

This means that laws could be made, changed or repealed without full scrutiny and without proper debate or democratic process.

To give one example in theory an unpopular Government could extend its life beyond the five year maximum now allowed.

Where does that leave us? - democracy or dictatorship?

grannyclaret · 15-03-2006, 14:52

sounds like dictatorship.to me..

WillowTheWhisp · 15-03-2006, 16:15

It's been creeping slowly in that direction for a while but this puts the tin lid on the biscuit as my Mum used to say.

shakermaker · 15-03-2006, 16:18

Dictatorship could be fun...

a nice change

Margaret Pilkington · 15-03-2006, 16:27

This Bill really scares me. The best of it is, this government may be in power but what they fail to realise is that the majority of the people DID NOT vote for them. They say they will only change inconsequential laws....the 'red tape' laws.... but already there are murmurs around Whitehall that if the Bill goes through then they will make ID cards compulsory......the ID cards were thrown out by the Lords as they felt that they should be voluntary....and anyone who needed a passport ought not to be forced into getting one of these wretched ID cards. This Government is corrupt and I do not trust it as far as I could throw it. If the Bill goes through then we won't have anything like a democracy.

WillowTheWhisp · 15-03-2006, 16:31

And the worst of it is, once you don't have a democracy how do you get one back?

andrewb · 15-03-2006, 16:36

I'm just surprised nobody in the media seems to have kicked up a fuss about it. As I see it this is a HUGE thing which could let the government do whatever they please without any form of opposition...

Margaret Pilkington · 15-03-2006, 16:40

You are both spot on with those observations....it scares the bejasus out of me......makes me want to emigrate before the brown stuff hits the fan.

garinda · 15-03-2006, 16:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

And the worst of it is, once you don't have a democracy how do you get one back?

Revolution.........weather permitting.

T.C. · 15-03-2006, 17:27

But this government went to war to rid a country of dictatorship and iintroduce democracy. By FORCE. What is democratic about that.

yerself · 15-03-2006, 17:33

A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of Government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a Dictatorship.(Written by Professor Alexander Fraser Tytler, nearly two centuries ago.)

shakermaker · 15-03-2006, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyfr

I'm just surprised nobody in the media seems to have kicked up a fuss about it. As I see it this is a HUGE thing which could let the government do whatever they please without any form of opposition...

I'm not surprised...it's not news - everyone knows the democracy is corrupt in this country; the only HUGE things in politics according to the media are minster's sex scandals and/or divorces...what a sad state of affairs

Margaret Pilkington · 15-03-2006, 19:11

Cash for peerages.......Ministers saying they don't know what their other half has been doing (again, cash orientated......)The PM's wife doing lecture tours...supposedly to help sick children but pocketing more money for herself than the charity gets. I always thought that Labour was about helping the working classes to get out of the mud......New Labour seems to be rolling around in it and revelling. Politics stinks......no politician ever comes out of politics poor.

shakermaker · 15-03-2006, 19:16

I wonder how those politicians round here dining at silver service would take to paying for their frozen food because their meals on wheels has stopped...

Every politician is as self centered as the day is long, we all knew that. This latest power crazy motion is no surprise

grannyclaret · 15-03-2006, 19:18

i have always voted labour,,but now i realy cant see the woods for trees ..it scares the pants off me now... they will have to come up with some good explanation for me voting for them next time...