Comments on: How to solve the problem of a hung parliament http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/ inde vides agilem bella gerentem Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:13:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Backofanenvelope http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3270 Backofanenvelope Sun, 09 May 2010 06:10:45 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3270 I start from the position that there is no situation a government cannot make worse. (Who said that?). So if government is paralysed things might be better. Anyway, the real government (civil service etc) is getting on with things as usual. I also think that what is wrong with this country is that what we have got doesn't seem to work too well. So, no new laws, just make it work! I start from the position that there is no situation a government cannot make worse. (Who said that?). So if government is paralysed things might be better. Anyway, the real government (civil service etc) is getting on with things as usual.

I also think that what is wrong with this country is that what we have got doesn’t seem to work too well. So, no new laws, just make it work!

]]> By: bellagerens http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3257 bellagerens Sat, 08 May 2010 17:51:43 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3257 Oh right, yes. Because the public finances are in dire straits but the lack of an executive means nothing can be done to start sorting them out. Oh right, yes. Because the public finances are in dire straits but the lack of an executive means nothing can be done to start sorting them out.

]]> By: Backofanenvelope http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3256 Backofanenvelope Sat, 08 May 2010 17:47:44 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3256 It's your title - not mine. It’s your title – not mine.

]]> By: bellagerens http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3254 bellagerens Sat, 08 May 2010 17:00:42 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3254 It doesn't work demonstrably <i>worse</i>... ;-) It doesn’t work demonstrably worse… ;-)

]]> By: bellagerens http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3253 bellagerens Sat, 08 May 2010 17:00:24 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3253 You tell me. You tell me.

]]> By: Backofanenvelope http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3251 Backofanenvelope Sat, 08 May 2010 16:08:18 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3251 By the way Bella, why is a hung parliament a problem? By the way Bella, why is a hung parliament a problem?

]]> By: sconzey http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3250 sconzey Sat, 08 May 2010 15:57:28 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3250 Because such a system works so well in the US... ;) Because such a system works so well in the US… ;)

]]> By: Angry Exile http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3249 Angry Exile Sat, 08 May 2010 15:50:33 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3249 I've blogged reform ideas at some length, mainly along the lines of what they could nick from Down Under and what they should avoid like the plague, and what lots of people seem to want and why I think it won't deliver what they hope (short version: AV or similar elected Commons, replace the Lords with a PR elected Senate, bring in referenda, recalls and open primaries (nicked from Hannan's and Carswell's <i>The Plan</i>) and don't under any circumstances bring in compulsory voting). But I hadn't thought of electing the executive separately from the legislature. Should be obvious even to those of us who aren't American.... 'scuse me one moment. /facepalm Okay, another thing to like about the idea is that it makes all constituencies properly represented again (well, kind of). How well have the people of Kirkcaldy and Deadcowbreath been represented in Westminster? Their MP has been, to put it very kindly, a very busy man. Can anyone manage to run the country or even a government department and at the same time represent constituents with the same level of care and attention possible for an MP with nothing else on their plate or maybe just a couple of committees? Kal-El is not eligible as far as I know so the answer is almost certainly a resounding no. I like the idea. I like it a lot. I’ve blogged reform ideas at some length, mainly along the lines of what they could nick from Down Under and what they should avoid like the plague, and what lots of people seem to want and why I think it won’t deliver what they hope (short version: AV or similar elected Commons, replace the Lords with a PR elected Senate, bring in referenda, recalls and open primaries (nicked from Hannan’s and Carswell’s The Plan) and don’t under any circumstances bring in compulsory voting). But I hadn’t thought of electing the executive separately from the legislature. Should be obvious even to those of us who aren’t American…. ‘scuse me one moment.

/facepalm

Okay, another thing to like about the idea is that it makes all constituencies properly represented again (well, kind of). How well have the people of Kirkcaldy and Deadcowbreath been represented in Westminster? Their MP has been, to put it very kindly, a very busy man. Can anyone manage to run the country or even a government department and at the same time represent constituents with the same level of care and attention possible for an MP with nothing else on their plate or maybe just a couple of committees? Kal-El is not eligible as far as I know so the answer is almost certainly a resounding no.

I like the idea. I like it a lot.

]]> By: Backofanenvelope http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3248 Backofanenvelope Sat, 08 May 2010 15:36:54 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3248 Reform the House of Lords by making it elected. Two peers from each county; one of each sex. They serve for 4 years, no more than 3 consecutive terms. They cannot be members of the government. They are paid and have a substantial budget to pay for expert help etc. The reformed HoL inherits the powers of the present one. Reform the House of Lords by making it elected. Two peers from each county; one of each sex. They serve for 4 years, no more than 3 consecutive terms. They cannot be members of the government. They are paid and have a substantial budget to pay for expert help etc. The reformed HoL inherits the powers of the present one.

]]> By: Tom Paine http://bellagerens.com/2010/05/08/how-to-solve-the-problem-of-a-hung-parliament/comment-page-1/#comment-3247 Tom Paine Sat, 08 May 2010 13:17:37 +0000 http://bellagerens.com/?p=1066#comment-3247 My suggestion for the upper house would be to have the Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies, the Scottish Parliament and a newly-elected English Parliament sit together as a Grand Senate to fulfil the functions you outline. They could continue to sit separately as "Petty Senates" on devolved issues. The only new elections would therefore be for the English Parliament/Petty Senate (which should have the same powers for England as the "wee pretendy" one in Edinburgh has for Scotland). We could also enact a constitution and entrench it on terms that majorities in all four parts of the Senate must endorse any change. This would be more democratic without creating more layers. It should cost no more than the present arrangements; perhaps even less. The budget from nationally-raised taxes should be allocated on a per capita basis for devolved functions to the Petty Senates, and the balance administered by a much reduced executive answerable to a much smaller House of Commons. You wouldn't need 650 MPs to deal with what little work was left after such a completion of devolution (and the continuing delegation of powers to Brussels for so long as we remain members of the EU). The Petty Senates should all be given local tax-raising powers to fund any more expensive approaches they may choose to apply locally (or to give rebates from their share of national taxes if they decided to scale down their functions). The Welsh and Scots' endless appetite for government money would diminish rapidly if their superior services were funded from local taxes. And the English would either pay less (or choose to improve their services). Their call, for the first time since the Acts of Union. Of course the most important reform of all would be to set up a delegated mechanism to review electoral boundaries every year, according to the number of taxpayers in each constituency, so that all were more or less equal. And to remove the vote from non-taxpayers (including public servants, whose "tax payments" are meaningless churn of money provided by private sector taxpayers). My suggestion for the upper house would be to have the Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies, the Scottish Parliament and a newly-elected English Parliament sit together as a Grand Senate to fulfil the functions you outline.

They could continue to sit separately as “Petty Senates” on devolved issues. The only new elections would therefore be for the English Parliament/Petty Senate (which should have the same powers for England as the “wee pretendy” one in Edinburgh has for Scotland). We could also enact a constitution and entrench it on terms that majorities in all four parts of the Senate must endorse any change.

This would be more democratic without creating more layers. It should cost no more than the present arrangements; perhaps even less. The budget from nationally-raised taxes should be allocated on a per capita basis for devolved functions to the Petty Senates, and the balance administered by a much reduced executive answerable to a much smaller House of Commons. You wouldn’t need 650 MPs to deal with what little work was left after such a completion of devolution (and the continuing delegation of powers to Brussels for so long as we remain members of the EU).

The Petty Senates should all be given local tax-raising powers to fund any more expensive approaches they may choose to apply locally (or to give rebates from their share of national taxes if they decided to scale down their functions). The Welsh and Scots’ endless appetite for government money would diminish rapidly if their superior services were funded from local taxes. And the English would either pay less (or choose to improve their services). Their call, for the first time since the Acts of Union.

Of course the most important reform of all would be to set up a delegated mechanism to review electoral boundaries every year, according to the number of taxpayers in each constituency, so that all were more or less equal. And to remove the vote from non-taxpayers (including public servants, whose “tax payments” are meaningless churn of money provided by private sector taxpayers).

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