10/07/2012
There seems to be a consensus building, that the House of Commons is a flawed institution, and that much of our effort on Saturday needs to be directed there. How ironic it is, then, that the Commons is currently tearing itself apart over the House of Lords, that Nick Clegg also calls
a flawed institution.
This is a man though who, without so much as a blush, complains of unelected Lords being involved in the making of our laws, yet seems quite content to have the EU commission as the prime mover in the making of the bulk of our legislation.
Colin Low, in
The Guardian, however, argues that the Lords is in many ways a highly democratic institution, asserting also that democracy is a complex phenomenon with several dimensions that need to be recognised.
Election is a crucial element, he says, but we also want our democracy to be representative, accessible, open and responsive.
The interesting thing is that election is not even a
necessary element. This very much came to mind during my stay at the menders to acquire my added pig. The hospital care, I thought, was one of the most democratic experiences I had ever undergone.
Each morning, I would be visited by a senior nurse bearing a treatment programme, which was then explained to me and we would then discuss how I wanted to proceed. In my debilitated state, I was hardly in a position to contribute very much but, when I did make suggestions and requests, these were listened to and, mostly, implemented.
The central point, though is that I was consulted, and in a meaningful way. And it is the lack of meaningful consultation which I find so offensive in government.
This is no more important than in the way money is extract from us each year. It is our money, but they do not ask us for it â they tell us how much we must pay and then, at local level, imprison us if we refuse to pay. How can that be democracy?
Points, therefore, that we need to consider, are the (non-electoral) elements which go to making a democracy, what is lacking and why, and what is needed to make things better.
While the politicians seem to be hung up on elections, we need to cast our net wider, and look beyond the simplistic rhetoric, to what really matters.
COMMENT: "HARROGATE CONFERENCE" THREAD
