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18 Feb 04 - 08:51 AM (#1118336) Subject: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: McGrath of Harlow I see that Billy Bragg has coem up with a rather cute suggestion for constitutional reform, which is actually being taken seriously by the kind of people who would normally sneer at anything a people's siger like him suggested. For example in the Guardian "...The singer Billy Bragg's ingenious formula for the reform of the House of Lords may just satisfy all parties" The idea being that every General Election they'd add up all the votes for MPs, and use those as the basis for the membership of the Second Chamber, on a proportional basis, using a party list system, liek they have in Scotland. One advantage being that there'd be some point in people voting, even when they knew there was no chance of their preferred local MP candidate being elected (or for that matter, defeated), which is the case in most constituencies which are pretty safe seats. No additional expense, no multiple elections, no interference with the dreaded constituency system. Very hard for the polticos to drum up a coherent opposition to teh idea. Myself I'd prefer a House of Randoms, where they just picked the names out of a hat so far, to ensure that there was a fair proportion of screwballs rather than just safe party hacks. Still it's good to see Billy Bragg betting some political respect. Maybe they'll start taking some notice of what he says about the music licences and pubs. Perhapos when he's in the Lords. |
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18 Feb 04 - 09:08 AM (#1118348) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: mooman "The House of Blokes (and Blokesses"? Peace moo |
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18 Feb 04 - 09:16 AM (#1118356) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: GUEST,Hugh Jampton McGrath, Believe you me. He is not the only one voicing objections to these irrational licensing regulations. For a long time now the media as well as the interested parties have spoken but it has resulted in no change of tack and I doubt another individual voice will alter any thing. |
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18 Feb 04 - 11:21 AM (#1118449) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: ced2 A good way for shinners-up greasy poles, sebaceous sycophants and all manner of other arse lickers to get onto the plush red benches without having to face an elector! |
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18 Feb 04 - 07:29 PM (#1118765) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: Richard Bridge There is a major problem in that it increases rather than provides a counterbalance to the dictatorship of the majority. Perhaps if you linked it to mid-term local elections it might work. |
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19 Feb 04 - 07:26 AM (#1119002) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: McGrath of Harlow Insofar as it would guarantee that there were some Greens in Parliament that wouldn't necessarily be the case, Richard. "Dictatorship of the majority" is a misnomer, insofar as governing parties virtually never have anywhere near a majority of the votes - even of those who do actually vote, let alone of the electorate as a whole. |
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19 Feb 04 - 07:39 AM (#1119011) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: Bobjack "Greens in Parliment" - Have vegetables got the right to vote then? Have I misread this thread? Why not have equal rights for fruit too, they always seem to get a bad press. |
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19 Feb 04 - 07:55 AM (#1119024) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: GUEST,Hugh Jampton Bobjack, I thought that the powers that be are set on having "equal rights for fruits", whatever those rights may be. |
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19 Feb 04 - 08:39 AM (#1119066) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: Bobjack OHMYGOD! you mean homosexuals don't you? Can fruits be fruits then? Equal rights for gay fruit anybody? |
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19 Feb 04 - 05:36 PM (#1119505) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: lady penelope Why not just employ the same system we have for jury service? (light blue touch paper & retire..........) TTFN Lady P. |
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19 Feb 04 - 08:20 PM (#1119646) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: McGrath of Harlow ...the same system we have for jury service That would be my preference - it was how the Greeks managed it, after all. That was what I meant by a House of Randoms. |
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20 Feb 04 - 02:43 PM (#1119982) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: GUEST,Van I like the idea of a house of randoms. In a way it is already that with the hereditary inbreeds and party hacks but out of a hat would get make it a fairer form of random. On the other hand Scotland doesn't have a second chamber so I can't see the parallel. I'm not sure about PR; in theory people are supposed to be represented by a government which represents the proportion of successful candidates from each party. In practice what happens is that the largest party does a deal most often with a minority party and that coallition forms government. Other parties with a sizeable proportion of the vote are left out in the cold and are unable to represent their voters. Just as happens under first past the post. Look what happened in Scotland and generally where this system is used. |
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21 Feb 04 - 06:05 AM (#1120314) Subject: RE: BS: Billy Bragg and House of Lords From: ced2 House of condoms do I hear? isn't that what occupy the red benches now - a right set of dick-heads? |