What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?
Discuss issues related to the politics of the UK, such as the actions of any MP, any current or potential law, or any other factor affecting the British political system.
| Announcements | Posted on | |
|---|---|---|
| Enter our travel-writing competition for the chance to win a Nikon 1 J3 camera | 20-05-2013 | |
-
- Reputation:
- Thread Starter
- Benevolent Member
- Posts: 647
What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?Hello,
I have to do an essay on this and I have no idea myself but I'm interested in what other people think.
So if you could change one thing about how British Democracy works, what would it be and why? Eg. voting system, how legislation is done, the role of the PM or his Cabinet e.t.c.
Thanks -
- Reputation:
- You guessed it, I'm a big F1 fan :yep:
- Location: Enfield, London
- Posts: 9,567
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I would eliminate the Tories as their policies are close to useless.
Update :
at the people negging.
Last edited by James A; 13-04-2012 at 19:05. -
- Reputation:
- Banned
- Location: Huddersfield
- Posts: 3,207
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?This system,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland -
- Reputation:
- Benevolent Member
- Location: The Gardens of Aranjuez
- Posts: 889
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?Because banning political parties is how true democracy works...(Original post by James A)
I would eliminate the Tories as their policies are close to useless. -
- Reputation:
- SociLOLogist
- Location: Tokyo
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I'd like more power for people to vote directly on specific laws and policies, rather than voting in a party with a pre-packaged bundle of positions that you may/may not necessarily agree with all of.
(Similar to the Swiss system then) -
- Reputation:
- Overlord in Training
- Posts: 2,804
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I would eliminate you.(Original post by James A)
I would eliminate the Tories as their policies are close to useless. -
- Reputation:
- You guessed it, I'm a big F1 fan :yep:
- Location: Enfield, London
- Posts: 9,567
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?(Original post by Iron Lady)
I would eliminate you.
-
- Reputation:
- Benevolent Member
- Location: Slough
- Posts: 654
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?Abolish political parties. Too often you get MPs being forced to vote against their conscience because that's what the party leaders tell them to do. Let each member be elected as a person rather than as a party representative, and parliamentary decisions would be far more in line with what the people actually want. I don't doubt that you'd still get factions forming all across the political spectrum, but the leaders would have no power to make MPs support them without question.
-
- Reputation:
- Vengeful, Imperial Overlord of The Student Room
- Location: London
- Posts: 3,680
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I'd personally reduce how democratic the UK is because I think the general public are too politically ignorant to make a sensible decision on who the governing party should be. I want an increase in political education in schools in an attempt to remove the usual reasons for voting for a party (i.e. agreeing with a single policy or based on social class) and perhaps a test on the political system and current affairs that would qualify a person to be able to vote (with provision made for the blind, dyslexic etc. of course).
-
- Reputation:
- Junior Member
- Posts: 64
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I wouldn't necessarily recommend increasing the frequency of referenda (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/...00/9706356.stm). But definitely there is a need for greater engagement of the general population, perhaps a potential for a popular veto, or at least the government should not be able to implement policies which are widely unpopular, without at least the opportunity for negotiation with the public and the bodies concerned. For example on the issue of A Levels having more input from universities, teacher unions should have more say as one of the portions of society likely to be most affected by the proposed changes.
-
- Reputation:
- Adored and Respected Member
- Posts: 542
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?The single greatest change?
The Labour Party could start giving a **** about the interests of the working class, then the poor can finally vote for a party they agree with rather than one they disagree with the least. -
- Reputation:
- Vengeful, Imperial Overlord of The Student Room
- Location: Oxford | Posts: 25,830
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I don't think the Swiss system would be very good at all, the turnout on their direct consultations is usually very poor and such simply represents the most vocal minority.
Something like proportional representation would be better. -
- Reputation:
- TSR Legend
- Location: Kent
- Posts: 10,423
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?E-democracy.
Why should we allow politicians to vote on our behalf in an era when we can talk in real-time to people from Australia via a video link for virtually nothing? We can talk to each other to decide what we should do, not politicians. Citizens would put forward votes at a borough level on a specially moderated (cursing disallowed, OT discussions not allowed, everything else goes, including stuff that would otherwise break the law; available any time of day; moderators (Speakers) always on hand and elected by the community to enforce those national rules) forum; with logins using biometric ID (although NI numbers at first)
National and local policy should be decided directly by the citizens, with the civil service remaining the only apparatus of government left intact. We don't need a parliament, although I'm inclined to let the monarchy stay in order to represent us on the international stage.
Votes would have thirty days to run their course in each individual tier. All votes are proposed at a borough level first, then put forward to a county level. If they pass a county vote then they are put into the relevant national forum (England, Scotland, Wales, NI) or a forum for the whole union (for acts of war, foreign policy, etc.). Votes do not need to be elevated to be acted upon - votes that concern borough or county wide matters can be passed at that level without further voting, only votes with national ramifications need to be passed in a national forum. Amendments would not have to be proposed in sub-national forums before making it to the national forum, but could be directly proposed in national fora. Votes would have to be passed by a real majority of the voting population in the national forum, or by a difference of more than 10% (55:45) within the population that voted.
There's a lot of rough bits left to work out, like how budgets are formulated, but I believe that e-democracy would be a pretty major, and beneficial change. -
- Reputation:
- Overlord in Training
- Location: Zürich
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?I believe it should be illegal for political parties to receive more than 5 quid in donations from any single source, would immediately remove the corporate lobbying and those scummy unions from financing politics and instead bring the power back to the people, political parties can instead be given state funding.
The Swiss system won't work in a country like UK and it will be extremely difficult to implement regardless of how many people want it and end of the day it also won't work because there won't be any form of political stability and in times like now nothing will ever get done. -
- Reputation:
- TSR Idol
- Location: Wellington
- Warning points: 10
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?and replace them with what?(Original post by Alofleicester)
Best thing for democracy? Get rid of the state, and money. -
- Reputation:
- Exalted Member
- Posts: 368
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?Theoretically:(Original post by cl_steele)
and replace them with what?
http://www.marxists.org/archive/leni...1917/staterev/ -
- Reputation:
- Exalted Member
- Posts: 368
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?Best thing for UK democracy in its current form would be to actually educate people decently. Amount of uneducated people, or badly educated, with the vote scares me. History, politics or citizenship should be compulsory to GCSE.
But I don't necessarily agree with this current form of government. -
- Reputation:
- Section Moderator
- I am a traveller of both time and space
- Location: Bradford
- Posts: 6,081
Re: What's the single greatest change that could be done to British Democracy?They don't need replacing, just removing.(Original post by cl_steele)
and replace them with what?
Money is only worth something because we believe it to be, but it has no actual use whatsoever, there's no reason for it to actually exist besides greed. As for the state, so long as it exists, proper democracy doesn't - what we have instead is a democratic election of people to represent us, then no say at all as to what actually happens to the country. So we get rid of the state and have a direct democracy where everyone has a say on what happens to society, rather than 650 people deciding the fate of 62 million.
