green Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Sounds a bit like x factor and something that could be easily led by the local / national press. It has got me thinking though. How about a list of all votes they took part in ? What committee they are on ? What debates they attend ? You look at parliament most of the time, there aren't alot of bums in seats. What are they doing ? Again this is not restricted to independent mps. The parties would not remotely bring true democracy into Parliament unless we drag them kicking and screaming into changing. If Independent MPs were voted in on the premise that they would create democracy within their own constituencies, and other areas saw this as working, then other prospective MPs would take this on board. Over time if it worked well and it was what the public wanted (and i do believe students in particular would see this as a way they could change the future of politics) then i believe parties (maybe the Greens / UKIP or Lib Dems firstly) would make this a feature of their manifestos. Thoughts please? Id really like for us to debate this....its an idea ive had for a while.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 The big parties have a huge advantage with their supporters, financial backers and incumbent politicians. It makes it almost impossible for an independant to break in unless they are loaded. I would put a stop to advertising, leaflets and canvassing. I would give each party an equal space on a single political website for each ward/constituency. On that website there would a generic format for each party to place its candidates details, its manifesto and other info. In that way no party or individual gets an advantage through finance or incumbency or anything else. There is also a permanent record of what each party has promised to do in case they backtrack. I like the idea of the public telling MPs how to vote. It almost smacks of democracy. Democracy seems to be a good thing and we should try it. I think the practicalities of that are some way off yet. One big problem is that MPs get elected by such small numbers of people. In some cases less than 25% of the electorate vote for the winner. In those cases the other 75% would be telling the MP how to vote? I do think that every MP should be obliged to tell all his constituents what he has voted for and how often he has voted as some of those in safe seats never seem to do a stroke. There is a website which I think is called They Work For You and I think they they keep a track of MPs voting but it would be better if they were forced to tell us what they have been doing. The MPs predominately vote the way their whips tell them to (and if not them their lobbyists). If an electorate had an opportunity to vote in someone who has promised to bring in true democracy to their electorate and it was someone we trusted in the community, then people who are fed up of the big 3 parties, would have an opportunity to vote for democracy and change. Obama first wave of funding when he was battling Clinton came primarily from local people. This too could work here. I personally think there are enough people locally who would put their hands in their pockets to pay for democracy to start a groundswell of opinion and campaigning for a candidate. Local press would definitely jump on the bandwagon and report it aswell. Id really like more people to join in this debate.... I honestly believe it could work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuri Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 The impending election is highlighting lots of disaffection with the traditional three party lines and the alternative parties seem to have narrow agendas. So, if somebody local stood for election with policies and a manifesto that you liked would you vote for them? Would you feel that they are more committed? Would they work harder? Would their independence get more done or give you better representation? Or would you stick to the established parties even if you don't agree with them? If so, why? Independent now and for ever more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 What do you mean by "truly independent?" Is someone believes that most Conservative policies are generally good ideas, but refuses to join the party as he isn't prepared to support them all without question - is he an independent? (ditto Lib-Dem or Labour...) Maybe 'Independent' in this context means merely not Cons./Lab./LDP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 There would be no point in voting for a party if you dont agree with their policies. But would you vote for a candidate, who allowed you to vote on each & every debate in the House of Commons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 But would you vote for a candidate, who allowed you to vote on each & every debate in the House of Commons? How can you do that ? What if my neighbour wants the opposite ? All voting for an independent will guarantee is a vote not along party lines, nothing more. He might not even vote at all. He might not even go to the debates, very few do. How will you know he will ? Will he promise faithfully in his manefesto ? Not legally binding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I'd be more inclined to vote for an independent in a local election than a parliamentary election. On a local level a lot of the parliamentary ganging together should be shelved in order to provide a good service for the local people anyway (but then that's just my opinion and lots of people seem to think otherwise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 How can you do that ? What if my neighbour wants the opposite ? All voting for an independent will guarantee is a vote not along party lines, nothing more. He might not even vote at all. He might not even go to the debates, very few do. How will you know he will ? Will he promise faithfully in his manefesto ? Not legally binding. Please read previous posts on this subject in this thread, which answer all your questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I'd be more inclined to vote for an independent in a local election than a parliamentary election. On a local level a lot of the parliamentary ganging together should be shelved in order to provide a good service for the local people anyway (but then that's just my opinion and lots of people seem to think otherwise). Locally we cant make the big changes we need to society. They are a great starting block though. Its the breaking up of the big 3 parties, or them understanding we want transparency and democracy going forward. This is what i would hope for from my proposal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esme Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Locally we cant make the big changes we need to society. They are a great starting block though. Its the breaking up of the big 3 parties, or them understanding we want transparency and democracy going forward. This is what i would hope for from my proposal. best of luck, I've tried getting this message across before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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