This week I’ve responded to forum threads on problems with our system of government, lowering the voting age and whether I consider myself European or British. Keep your questions coming!

major problems with our system of govornment
Author: pamixchris

The first thing to say on pamixchris’s points is that I’ve set out in response to other threads how we differ a great deal from Gordon Brown’s party. To list just a few of these issues here: getting rid of ID cards; recognising marriage in the tax system; our plans for the development of a dedicated border police; the need for a referendum on the return of the EU Constitution; replacing the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights; and our approach to tax and spending.

Above all, I’ve set out how my whole    approach to running the country differs from Gordon Brown’s. Social responsibility, at the heart of my credo, is about recognising that all of us – not just government - have a responsibility for our neighbours, for our country and for our planet. This is a clear contrast with Gordon Brown’s belief in state control.

However pamixchris’s main point is about the role of party politics in Parliament. He wants to see MPs acting more independently of parties.

I should mention first that, when our Democracy Task Force looked at this, they actually found that MPs have become less – not more - slavish in voting with the Party line in the last half century. In fact MPs were more rebellious in Tony Blair’s last full term in office than they have been in recent memory.

Also, the existence of parties in Parliament enables voters to have a rough idea of what they are voting for at each election. Of course some voters can and do vote for independent candidates, but most choose to vote for a candidate of one of the main three parties.

But having said that I still think pamixchris has got a point. People do expect more from their MPs than simply to be cogs in a party machine, and there are ways in which we can enable MPs to represent public concerns more independently.

Our Democracy Task Force suggested allowing more room for Private Member’s Bills, which are independent of parties, and we will look at that.

Another way to boost the role of individual MPs is to increase the power of Select Committees, something which I called for again last week. Select Committees, which focus on particular issues, are less dominated by Party politics, and can be very effective in holding government to account.

I also agree with those on this thread who say parties themselves need to change, becoming more open and more representative of modern Britain. I hope that with the changes the Conservative Party has made to candidate selection, that is exactly what is happening.

Do you consider yourself European or British?
Author: martinnelson

First on the English or British question, I don’t see why it has to be either / or. No one is more proud of being English than I am. But I'm also passionately attached to the idea of Britain.

Admittedly it’s somewhat un-British to talk about what Britishness means. But we need to recognise that many of our values, institutions, people, buildings, places, and history – the things that give a nation state its character - are shared across Britain.

So are many of our feelings. Even in sport, British success is often celebrated across all of Britain. As, off the field, was the award of the 2012 Olympics.

Many of our successes have come through Britain working together, too. It is as Britain that we are the fourth largest economy in the world. And it’s as Britain that we have the influence we have. Our international voice – including in the EU, and our place as one of only five permanent members of the UN Security Council – comes to us as Britain.

On the European issue, recognising our European heritage doesn’t mean trying to shoe-horn 27 national identities together. It’s important to respect the diversity which exists between the nation states of Europe.

Lowering the voting age?
Author: martinnelson

What the Government have said is that they want to hear from young people themselves as to whether lowering the voting age would increase participation.

I’m personally not convinced that it would. A review by the Electoral Commission a few years ago found most young people opposing any reduction.

I don’t actually think the voting age is really the issue. It may well end up simply lowering the age at which people abstain from voting. And the danger of this debate is that it turns our attention away from what is the real issue. That is finding ways to translate young people’s concerns about political issues – including hugely important global issues like climate change and international development – into a belief that party politics can make a difference.

Part of that is about politicians being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. That way, we encourage new people of all ages to get involved – people who feel strongly about a range of issues but who feel alienated from what can seem like the closed world of party politics.

On the voting age there are also other practical points to bear in mind. 16 year-olds do not have full citizenship rights in other ways either. They have to gain parental consent to join the Army, marry or leave home. And no European country has a nationwide voting age below 18 – and very few outside Europe do either.

E-mail | Bookmark | Digg

  Comments(1) >>

  Add comment