Mending Britain’s broken politics

London Calling

"Nothing beats door-to-door canvassing"

PC (Political Candidate)
JB (Joe Blogs)

Ding Dong..

PC
Hello...I'm your local Political Candidate.

JB
Are you here at my expense?

PC
Of course I am sir.

JB
Just as I thought...

Door Slams

;)

David Ossitt

"although intriguingly the BNP is excluded whilst Sinn Fein and the DUP are included…?)"

That is OK then; include all of the republican murdering bastards, but exclude a party that rails against the mass immigration of foreign ideologies and beliefs.

Cato

Anyone who writes about mending "broken politics" should first detail what exactly he/she believes is broken.

The UK political system is not perfect, but whose politics do you want? China's? Cuba's? Iran's? Even within the framework of "western-style democracy" which country is infinitely better? Italy's instability? France's personality cults? Israel's splintering of splinters?

The UK (as with the US, where I hear the same "broken politics mantra) has vigorous public debate, free elections, and regular, peaceful transfers of power. So not really all that broken.

Verity

"... "although intriguingly the BNP is excluded ...".

I don't find Sovietesque-Maoesque fascism/thought policing/discrimination intriguing at all.

Except for the shortages, Britain is now a miniature-USSR but without the astrakhan coats. I wonder if the one that Blair was planning to wear for his visit to Moscow that Alastair Campbell ripped out of his febrile hands, is still in the attic at No 10. Along with that bike he rode for five minutes in Holland on that dire day he got elected for the first time (that was when Alastair Campbell was trying to persuade people that Blair's nickname was Bambi, remember?), and all the other props long discarded.

AAE

I grew up in N. Ireland and until today I didn't notice that there was any equivalence between the DUP and the political wing of a multimillion pound terrorist organisation that waged a 40 year campaign in the UK. You should be a bit more fastidious in what you say as some of us already feel a little offended that the dead remain dead whilst those who should be serving their multiple life sentences (running concurrently obviously but in some cases amounting to more than a thousand years in jail) are walking the streets of Belfast as happy as Larry.

denis cooper

Usually if you notice that something around the house has got broken, the natural first question is "Who's broken this?", almost invariably answered by a chorus of "It wasn't me" ...

The main political parties have broken our politics. Blame individual politicians such as MPs as if you like, but bear in mind that all but two of the present lot were strongly recommended by a political party which campaigned for their election, and 94% of them were supplied by just three political parties.

Or "corrupt and degenerate political gangs", as they could be described.

Barbara

The proposal we change the voting system and implement one that the present politicians want is laughable, the one they've suggested is nothing more than the what we've got but less democratic, it would mean the two main parties having all the say just have they have now. Proportional Representation however, would give all parties a chance, including the BNP and rightly so, for what they have proposed is to stop smaller parties from ever having influence within parliaments walls. So, we should not allow this blatent action to take place, they are again being deceitful, and cannot be trusted. Indeed why should 'they' decide what sort of election system we have, we should decide and all options put on the table and who they would work, we should then make the choice via a referendum. Now that is democracy certainly not what they propose. They are not giving us a choice at all just another option of their choice, and it won't wash. We are not stupid so lets make sure they know it, and papers and the media should give all the facts and tell them so. Stop this government and any in the future from this dictating if we are to have true democracy lets have it open and clear.

TrevorsDen

Denis Cooper - Conservatives have been out of power for 13 years, pushed into the wilderness by the electorate.

They have not broken anything, indeed they had previously been busy mending labours previous shambles.

Hepworth

Let's not look at this proposal through the proverbial "rose tinted". It's nothing more than Labour running scared of the BNP. For an " insignificant party" they are making significant changes in our leaders policies. (Only 'till after the GE of course, That goes without saying).