Observing the odd report of the Labour conference in Brighton who could seriously conclude from those present, the politicians, assorted platform speakers and people in the audience, that they speak for the public at large?
This questions becomes even more apt when you consider Angela Rayner, their Deputy Leader considers, in effect, that all Conservative politicians and by implication all their supporters are scum.
The trouble with our current political system is that the views of the
public at large are not getting through to our MPs. I know they are forever reminding us that they are kept in touch by their constituency
surgeries but in reality, they only get to meet a vocal minority with
specific problems while the views of the vast majority are seldom
brought or get to their attention. It could not be clearer, over recent
years, that our politicians seldom if ever speak for the people they represent.
The problems start with the need, for anyone considering a career in
politics, to join a party and become part of the ‘tribe’ and accept
their mantras for without the support of a party machine the chances of
getting elected as an independent or member of a new party are very slim. Adopting the
‘party-line’, from the start of a political career, means fresh ideas
are not getting into the political arena which does of course presume
that prospective candidates once had fresh ideas in the first place! For example, if a new
politician is an ardent climate sceptic he or she would have to suppress
their views for fear of jeopardise their career prospects. As Bernard
Shaw said: ‘He knows nothing; he thinks he knows everything – that
clearly points to a political career!’
So, our system of governance will only be reformed when our politicians
have to seriously take into account the views of the majority which is
what our six demands set out to do. Our first demand requires that the
people's inherent sovereignty is recognised and from this the other demands
flow. Demand two, ‘Real Local Democracy’, would allow
constituents to agree the level of pay of their MPs and set up a
procedure for recall between elections if they so desired. Demand three,
‘Separation of Powers’, would enable the whole of Parliament to keep
the executive in check with demands four and five giving the people real
power to reject or approve the government’s proposed legislation and
annual taxation requirements. Finally demand six pulls everything
together in a new codified constitution.
When enacted, the six demands of The Harrogate Agenda would really
reform our current system of governance by ensuring new systems were in
place to allow the views of the majority to be heard when so desired and also the mechanisms to say no to government legislation with which the majority disagreed. Our Agenda allows the oxygen of populism to puncture the Westminster
bubble allowing fresh ideas to enter the system from the people for the
people.