Sharpe's Opinion
Monday, 19th Jan, 2009
Patently has been doing a series of excellent posts on our Broken Democracy. This one’s the best, but the others are worth checking out.
We, as a nation, have a belief in democracy; one that we have seen fit to impose by force on others. We have a set of rules that are steeped in history and which date from a time before this country was democratic. Whilst those rules permit democracy, they do not guarantee it. Democracy has generally been achieved in recent times (despite this) through the use of conventions and accepted practices. A trivial example sof this is that we (i.e. the people) do not choose the Prime Minister; Her Majesty does so. By convention, she chooses the leader of the largest party in the Commons and thereby democracy is (usually) achieved. But that achievement is not a function of the rules per se; it is the result of the way that those rules are applied and exercised.
Gordon was not elected to his current position. In fact, he has never faced a serious electoral challenge; he represents a safe Scottish Labour seat in which his election as an MP was never seriously in doubt. He did not stand for election to the leadership of the Labour Party; instead he operated behind the scenes to prevent others from standing against him. He does not therefore have any serious credentials as a democrat.
Worse, there is no personal mandate that he can claim. Blair won the last election; Gordon was not formally presented as his deputy and therefore inherits no actual ‘deputy’s mandate’ from Blair. Of course, it was generally known that Brown was the most likely successor to Blair, but in the face of questions as to how long he could hold Brown off, Blair promised to serve a full term. The implication of that was crystal clear; Blair would not stand down mid-term in favour of Brown. Blair was elected on that basis and therefore Brown cannot claim an effective ‘deputy’s mandate’ from Blair.
Want a ‘This Blog Has No Confidence in Her Majesty’s Government’ banner? Feel free to grab one from House of Comments anytime…
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I myself prefer the same date as the Euro election. In the Euro election, my vote will have more of an effect on who wins, whereas in Stoke on Trent North there will just be another heavy Labour victory. I’d like the chance to vote for 2 different parties on the same day. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to sending a message through the ballot box!
I must say, your side have been impressing me. I will probably put my x next to the Liberal Democrats in the GE (though, without much hope of their winning this seat) but anything to get Labour out. I have my doubts about this reshuffle, but with Cameron having taken his stand over Heathrow & having what I regard as a bold & largely correct attitude in opposition to Brown’s authoritarianism & irresponsibility, & the culture New Labour have fostered, I’d rather have a Conservative government.
Of course, the work of berating the government will go on for me whoever wins, though…
PS- You may wish to make a contribution here: http://www.libdemvoice.org/opinion-lib-dems-need-to-attack-the-tory-record-on-civil-liberties-too-10401.html
asquith
January 19, 2009 at 4:26 pm