Broken Manifesto Promises

[Boblet]

In the UK you elect Members of Parliament - not representatives. When they are competing for your vote they will listen to you. After that if it's a conflict between what you (or your constituency) wants and what the party wants, how many times does the MP vote against the party? - Not often.

 

If the electorate in a constituency are voting for somebody to represent that constituency - as opposed to a member of a political party - why are the candidates for the main parties usually selected by the central party and not selected by the local party?

 

The local party may have a say in who is selected, though they will usually have to make the choice from a list forced upon them by Party HQ and if they make the wrong choice they can expect to be asked to choose again.

 

What happens to an MP who ignores the party whip?

(S)he doesn't get promoted, for a start.

(S)he may be de-selected at the next general election.

In some cases, the whip may be withdrawn.

 

Most of which may be true but it doesn't alter the fact that the electorate votes for a person - not a party - otherwise we may as well change to a party list system for all the difference it would make to most constituencies

[Rupert_Baehr]

Your quote: You said: "In recent weeks the Tories have broken their promise not to abolish universal child benefit..."

Wrong - Dell12 said that.

 

Sorry about that - my mistake.

 

 

...I am not making any suggestions regarding what the state should pay - I am suggesting only, that when politicians make promises, they should keep them.

 

Unfortunately they don't keep them. That's a fact of life.

[Rupert_Baehr]

Most of which may be true but it doesn't alter the fact that the electorate votes for a person - not a party - otherwise we may as well change to a party list system for all the difference it would make to most constituencies

 

Tell that to the 'Turnip Taliban' who were given the choice of Miss Trust or Miss Trust.

 

Tell that to the voters of the Norwich North when they were given Chloe Smith as a candidate.

 

I wonder how many of the candidates (for any party) in the last election were selected by the local party from a list of candidates provided by local people?

 

How many candidates were 'parachuted' into constituencies?

[artisan]

I have just watched PMQ's, and behind Cameron are his two nodding donkeys.

The odious Osborne, and the fool Clegg.

Osborne I can understand, he knows no better.

 

But I understood this to be a coalition, a government of opponents brought together in adversity?

 

Why then, does Clegg shout and nod agreement with every word the PR man Cameron says, and howl derision at the opposition?

 

He has lost his way, as has the old fool Cable.

 

The Liberals should show they have a pair and get rid of these traitors while they still have a party.

 

Who is their leader these days anyway?

[Vague_Boy]

Apparently some people still have not realised that what we have is a coalition government, not a single party.

 

Evidenced by the fact that the NuLabour trolls on here keep referring to the government as the "Tories".

 

Still, even Pavlov couldn't teach those trollish old dogs new tricks.

[plekhanov]

Is there any point in political parties publishing manifestos any more?

 

In recent weeks the Tories have broken their promise not to abolish universal child benefit and have failed to implement their 'green energy tariff' supplement promised in their manifesto.

 

The Lib Dems have reneged on their promises not to increase to increase top up fees and not to put up VAT.

 

I don't particularity see this as political debate as i'm sure the Labour party have done the same thing on occasions too.

 

All the parties knew the state on the economy when writing their manifestos, so is it right they can promise something to get into power, then rip it up before our very eyes once they get in? I voted Lib Dem partially at least because of their stance on tuition fees, which I know was one of their major selling points to many students aswell.

 

Isn't it time that manifestos become legally binding?

No as that would make the country ungovernable.

 

If manifestos were legally binding you'd have a minority Conservative government attempting to introduce its manifesto policies, nearly all of which would be voted down by all the other parties which have contradictory manifestos they would also bound to try and introduce.

 

Your proposal would lead to almost complete paralysis in government at a time when we really can't afford it.