There's a general election in the UK this year. The news coverage seems to be saying that it is going to be a very close result, and a strong possibility of a 'hung' parliament, one when no party has an overall majority and has to rely on other parties for support and to pass legislation. This got me thinking about democracy.
Do we live in a democratic society? Do the people in power operate in a democratic way? Here's five questions that Tony Benn said we should ask anyone in power. Think about them - they are perfect. If the 5th question cannot be answered then you do not live in a truly democratic society, and that should make you wonder why not.
To anyone in power:
1. "What power have you got?
2. "Where did you get it from?
3. "In whose interests do you use it?
4. "To whom are you accountable?
5. "How do we get rid of you?"
Our ancestors fought very hard to build a democratic country and a fair society, and I believe we are slowly but surely letting people take them away from us. We cannot take democracy for granted - we have to fight to keep it. It's not somebody else's job to protect it, every citizen shares that responsibility. We all have the vote, that is where the power lies. In the UK it is not compulsory to vote, that's insane of course. If people do not vote then no elected government can be seen as truly representative.
In the 1800's in the UK, when only the privileged few were allowed to vote, and only men at that, a movement grew up called the 'Chartists'. Their aims were simple (as below) but sadly not all of them have been realised, even now. They wanted:
The Chartists used the word 'fair' and that's where I believe we should start thinking about what sort of society we want, who makes the decisions, who holds the power, how they are accountable for their actions, and how we pay for things. If people do not exercise their right to vote then surely they cannot complain when the elected government starts doing things that they object to. Often people say that their vote does not count so what's the point. Cynicism with the electoral system is destroying democracy. If people thought that their vote counted then they would be more inclined to vote. The system badly needs an overhaul.
The system in the UK is still 'first past the post' i.e. the candidate who wins the most votes in a constituency is the winner. Superficially that looks fair, but it is not. What about when a candidate wins with less than 50% of the total votes, or if two or even three parties receive 30% or more. What is the value of the votes cast by people for the other candidates? Zero. Why are they not counted somehow? The system is just unfair, but there are other ways of counting votes that are far more democratic.
Where we currently live in New Zealand the system is much more democratic. Effectively you each get two votes, one for a local candidate where you live, and another for a national party. The local vote is first past the post, but for the national election seats are distributed based on the total percentage of votes for each party. So you could have the situation where you could cast a vote for a good local MP who you know serves the community the way you like, regardless of their party, but still give another party your other vote.
Now the supporters of 'first past the post' will argue that such a system is likely to result in no one party having overall control and therefore not able to pass all the legislation they want i.e no chance of 'strong government'. I say hooray to that. In the past in the UK the government often swung between two parties, one to the left and one to the right. Usually they had an overall majority and could do what they wanted. But when they lost the next election the new government spent ages undoing the changes that had been made. Next election they swapped over and did the same thing. To me that's no way to run a country.
Yes, the fairer, proportional voting systems will result in coalitions, but that's a good thing. In those cases the largest party will need to gain the support of smaller ones in order to pass legislation. To get that support they will often need to compromise, to tone down what they'd really like to do. And often they will need to adopt some proposals by the smaller parties in order to keep their support.
Anyway - back to the 2015 election in the UK. It will be fascinating because the usual three party (Labour, Tory, Lib Dem) system has been disrupted by the SNP (Scottish National Party) and UKIP (UK Independence party) both of whom have championed causes that were 'uncomfortable' for the other parties. The SNP has been on the rise since the Scottish referendum vote was narrowly against independence. UKIP has made membership of the EU (European Union) an issue and alongside it the old debate around immigration. All these topics raise very strong feelings amongst voters, and even if these two parties do not have enough seats to hold the balance of power in the new parliament they have caused the main parties to be clearer about where they stand. That's good for democracy.
I'll end with some personal views, so fire up your comments Jamie and any other of Thatcher's children out there. No, only joking, I'm not going to be too controversial. But I do hope that after the election some sanity will return as well as changes that will make the UK a better and fairer place to live. I hope that the NHS will be protected, that there is no more privatisation of state (i.e. our) assets, that private schools lose their charitable status and there are no more 'charter schools', that fees to enter higher education are reduced, tax havens are closed down, and everyone pays the share of tax they should based on what they earn.
I will end with an extract from a speech by Michael Sheen the actor (Frost vs Nixon etc) who was commenting on how British society had changed since the heady days after WW2 when Britain had to rebuild and created the NHS (National Health Service), the welfare system, and provided free education for all. Since then, very sadly, much of what was achieved has been dismantled. Britain has in many ways become an 'I'm alright' society where those who have the money can 'buy' healthcare and education, and at the same time starve the NHS and state schools of the funds they need in order to provide excellent care and education opportunities to those who cannot pay. Sheen said:
"Or do we want to be a society where each person is recognised? Where all are equal in worth and value. And where that value is not purely a monetary one. A society that is supportive, that is inclusive and compassionate. Where it is acknowledged that not all can prosper. Where those who are most vulnerable, most in need of help, are not seen as lazy, or scrounging, or robbing the rest of us for whatever they can get. Where we do not turn our backs on those facing hard times. We do not abandon them or exploit their weakness."
That precious vote that democracy gives us all really can be used to change things for the better.
Do we live in a democratic society? Do the people in power operate in a democratic way? Here's five questions that Tony Benn said we should ask anyone in power. Think about them - they are perfect. If the 5th question cannot be answered then you do not live in a truly democratic society, and that should make you wonder why not.
To anyone in power:
1. "What power have you got?
2. "Where did you get it from?
3. "In whose interests do you use it?
4. "To whom are you accountable?
5. "How do we get rid of you?"
Our ancestors fought very hard to build a democratic country and a fair society, and I believe we are slowly but surely letting people take them away from us. We cannot take democracy for granted - we have to fight to keep it. It's not somebody else's job to protect it, every citizen shares that responsibility. We all have the vote, that is where the power lies. In the UK it is not compulsory to vote, that's insane of course. If people do not vote then no elected government can be seen as truly representative.
In the 1800's in the UK, when only the privileged few were allowed to vote, and only men at that, a movement grew up called the 'Chartists'. Their aims were simple (as below) but sadly not all of them have been realised, even now. They wanted:
- a fair economy
- more and better jobs
- decent homes for all
- to save and improve public services
- a fair and just Britain
- a future without war
The Chartists used the word 'fair' and that's where I believe we should start thinking about what sort of society we want, who makes the decisions, who holds the power, how they are accountable for their actions, and how we pay for things. If people do not exercise their right to vote then surely they cannot complain when the elected government starts doing things that they object to. Often people say that their vote does not count so what's the point. Cynicism with the electoral system is destroying democracy. If people thought that their vote counted then they would be more inclined to vote. The system badly needs an overhaul.
The system in the UK is still 'first past the post' i.e. the candidate who wins the most votes in a constituency is the winner. Superficially that looks fair, but it is not. What about when a candidate wins with less than 50% of the total votes, or if two or even three parties receive 30% or more. What is the value of the votes cast by people for the other candidates? Zero. Why are they not counted somehow? The system is just unfair, but there are other ways of counting votes that are far more democratic.
Where we currently live in New Zealand the system is much more democratic. Effectively you each get two votes, one for a local candidate where you live, and another for a national party. The local vote is first past the post, but for the national election seats are distributed based on the total percentage of votes for each party. So you could have the situation where you could cast a vote for a good local MP who you know serves the community the way you like, regardless of their party, but still give another party your other vote.
Now the supporters of 'first past the post' will argue that such a system is likely to result in no one party having overall control and therefore not able to pass all the legislation they want i.e no chance of 'strong government'. I say hooray to that. In the past in the UK the government often swung between two parties, one to the left and one to the right. Usually they had an overall majority and could do what they wanted. But when they lost the next election the new government spent ages undoing the changes that had been made. Next election they swapped over and did the same thing. To me that's no way to run a country.
Yes, the fairer, proportional voting systems will result in coalitions, but that's a good thing. In those cases the largest party will need to gain the support of smaller ones in order to pass legislation. To get that support they will often need to compromise, to tone down what they'd really like to do. And often they will need to adopt some proposals by the smaller parties in order to keep their support.
Anyway - back to the 2015 election in the UK. It will be fascinating because the usual three party (Labour, Tory, Lib Dem) system has been disrupted by the SNP (Scottish National Party) and UKIP (UK Independence party) both of whom have championed causes that were 'uncomfortable' for the other parties. The SNP has been on the rise since the Scottish referendum vote was narrowly against independence. UKIP has made membership of the EU (European Union) an issue and alongside it the old debate around immigration. All these topics raise very strong feelings amongst voters, and even if these two parties do not have enough seats to hold the balance of power in the new parliament they have caused the main parties to be clearer about where they stand. That's good for democracy.
I'll end with some personal views, so fire up your comments Jamie and any other of Thatcher's children out there. No, only joking, I'm not going to be too controversial. But I do hope that after the election some sanity will return as well as changes that will make the UK a better and fairer place to live. I hope that the NHS will be protected, that there is no more privatisation of state (i.e. our) assets, that private schools lose their charitable status and there are no more 'charter schools', that fees to enter higher education are reduced, tax havens are closed down, and everyone pays the share of tax they should based on what they earn.
I will end with an extract from a speech by Michael Sheen the actor (Frost vs Nixon etc) who was commenting on how British society had changed since the heady days after WW2 when Britain had to rebuild and created the NHS (National Health Service), the welfare system, and provided free education for all. Since then, very sadly, much of what was achieved has been dismantled. Britain has in many ways become an 'I'm alright' society where those who have the money can 'buy' healthcare and education, and at the same time starve the NHS and state schools of the funds they need in order to provide excellent care and education opportunities to those who cannot pay. Sheen said:
"Or do we want to be a society where each person is recognised? Where all are equal in worth and value. And where that value is not purely a monetary one. A society that is supportive, that is inclusive and compassionate. Where it is acknowledged that not all can prosper. Where those who are most vulnerable, most in need of help, are not seen as lazy, or scrounging, or robbing the rest of us for whatever they can get. Where we do not turn our backs on those facing hard times. We do not abandon them or exploit their weakness."
That precious vote that democracy gives us all really can be used to change things for the better.
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