The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #99710   Message #1990406
Posted By: Scrump
08-Mar-07 - 08:52 AM
Thread Name: BS: Elected UK House of Lords - good or bad?
Subject: RE: BS: Elected UK House of Lords - good or bad?
While we're at it let's update the commons too:

Abolish the whips' offices
All votes in parliament are secret
You can only vote if you attended the debate
Voting in elections would be compulsary but with the option "None of the Above".
No new laws or amendments can be made if the party (or parties in the case of a coalition) has less than 50% of the votes cast.
A petition of a suitable size (say 10% of the electorate) can force a general election
No minister can serve in the same position for more than 5 years.
No MP can serve more than 15 years consecutively without a break of at least 5 years.


Some good ideas there Dazbo. Political parties are the curse of our parliamentary system - I'd like to see political parties abolished and made illegal, so that belonging to one would be punishable by expulsion and a jail sentence. Whips would therefore not exist. Parties would probably still exist but they would be driven underground. There would be no need for parties to indulge in dodgy fund raising practices such as flogging peerages, as there would be no party advertising needed. Each election would be between individuals with their own policies, not dictated by some twat in Whitehall.

Then, with a secret ballot, people could vote by conscience or for their own constituents' interests, not just some dictator's party line.