Rescuing
Democracy in the United Kingdom from our current Elected
Dictatorship
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Spin, not
face-to-face confrontations with the voters, is the Government's
chosen method of communication. Ordinary
people are dangerous. Ordinary people might ask a question
which throws a politician 'off message'; the Cabinet member
might reveal himself or herself to be a human being like
us, and not a programmed android. Worse still, he or she
might tell the truth.
Ann Leslie - Daily Mail, September
16, 2004
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260,000
State jobs created in one year. So much for Brown's cull - Written
by Edmund Conway, Economics Reporter - Daily Mail, January 20,
2005
Gordon
Brown's pledge to cull tens of thousands of civil servants has
been dramatically undermined. Figures to be released tomorrow
show that in fact the Government created 260,000 public sector
jobs in the year up to last autumn. While half could be doctors
and nurses and teachers, it is estimated that the rest will be
bureaucrats. During the same period, the wealth-creating private
sector lost 6,000 jobs.
Public
sector pay also rose faster, with an increase of 4.7% last year
compared with 4.1% rise in the private sector. The overspending
could slash Britain's economic growth next year.
The
figures were issued by the Office for National Statistics. They
were supported by research which showed that in the last six months
alone, government departments and official bodies advertised 5,750
vacancies in The Guardian. The total cost of salaries for those
jobs - which are not for front-line posts such as nurses or teachers
- was very nearly £210 million.
On
this trend, 40,045 jobs would be advertised by 2008, at a cost
of £1.45 billion. Examples of spurious vacancies included
a 'workplace stop smoking adviser' for Islington NHS Trust, with
an annual salary of £32,476 - double the pay of a qualified
nurse. York City Council advertised for a job with the vague description
of 'neighbourhood pride manager' - for £30,654 a year.
In
last week's edition of the The Guardian Society supplement, 444
public sector jobs were advertised. The evidence of thriving public
sector employment flies in the face of the Chancellor's vow, six
months ago this week, to cull 84,150 civil service posts.
He
also wanted to relocate 20,000 to the regions. He said the purge
of civil servants would help dramatically cut spending within
Whitehall by £20 billion. But, in fact 13,000 of the 84,150
are actually 'reallocations to front-line roles in the Civil Service',
according to the Government's own review of bureaucracy by Sir
Peter Gershon. In this case, only around 71,000 jobs will go.
And
a senior Treasury mandarin admitted yesterday that under a Whitehall
'jobs protocol', civil servants in danger of losing their jobs
will be notified of other suitable public sector jobs in their
area. Around 250,000 posts will eventually be available across
the public sector to those who have been sacked.
John
Oughton, chief executive of the Office of Government Commerce,
said that most of their efficiency savings would come from the
Government renegotiating contracts. Many of these would be with
firms supplying products such as drugs for the NHS, defence equipment,
and from installing new technology.
Job
cuts will account for only £2 billion, a fraction of the
£20 billion Mr Brown said he would gain in efficiency savings.
Since 1999, public sector employment has spiralled. Between
1979 and 1997, the size of the Civil Service fell from 735,000
to 475,000. But after two years in Government, Labour reversed
the trend, with 86,000 more public jobs in 2001, including 20,000
civil servants in central government.
Although
there are no figures for last year's increase in the public sector
overall, the Government has admitted that 12,000 more civil servants
were added to the payroll. Critics said the research showed Mr
Brown's supposed purge of Whitehall waste was little more than
a smoke and mirrors exercise.
Shadow
Chancellor Oliver Letwin said: "These truly extraordinary
figures illustrate perfectly why the choice at the next election
is between more bureaucracy, more borrowing and more tax under
Labour, or better value for money and lower taxes under the Conservatives.
This is at a time when Mr Blair pretends that he is reducing the
number of bureaucratic jobs. These jobs ads demonstrate that Tony
Blair is determined to waste more and more of our money."
A
Treasury spokesman said: "The Government has always made
it clear that job reductions are one of a number of work-streams
contributing to the efficiency review goal of £21 billion
of savings to be reinvested to the front-line."
For
the health of our democracy, we, the people of the United Kingdom,
must find a way to force Mr Blair to resign
Such
defiance of the democratic process and the will of the majority
of we people of the UK, must be exposed by voters as a matter
or urgency, and not just in the two by-elections we have had this
July and the European elections in June 2004. But how can this
be done?
The
most effective way of getting our deceitful PM to resign would
be to mobilise the army of Labour MPs currently in the House of
Commons and get them to demand it, the loss of their seat to be
a penalty if they did not. All voters in Labour-held constituencies
need to write a letter along these lines to their local Labour
MPs:
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Dear
Despite
his absolute and unequivocal assurances over the past year
of the serious risk to our security of Saddam Hussein's
'weapons of mass destruction', Prime Minister Blair
has admitted, that the threat was non-existent. For that
critical error of judgement and for his gross incompetence
in handling this very important issue, I ask you to take
immediate steps to ensure that Tony Blair does the honourable
thing and resign without delay..
I
would therefore be much obliged if you would propose and
help mobilise a Parliamentary vote of 'No Confidence' in
Mr Blair which, despite Labour's huge majority, would leave
the PM with no option but to resign.
If
I get no reply to this letter, I shall assume you will continue
to support Mr Blair as our Prime Minister. In such circumstances
I shall not vote for you in the forthcoming General Election.
Signed:
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Simple,
non-violent, protest letters along these lines on a variety of
issues could be the basis for re-vitalising our democracy and
increasing voters' interest and participation in politics. Download
a printable copy of the above letter here.
There
is another way for the voice of the silent majority to be heard,
a voice that made sure broken promises would not only be revealed,
but punished in subsequent elections.
In
the year available before the General Election expected in 2005,
many topics are available as ammunition, each one asking questions.
A weapon for our purpose will be the results of Opinion Polls
in individual constituencies using ICM, NOP, Gallop, Mori
or YouGov.
Questions
suggested for this purpose are listed here.
CAST
YOUR VOTE ON A VARIETY OF OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES HERE.
Current
and prospective Parliamentary candidates of all Parties running
for election could share a platform at public forums in every
constituency. They would be presented with the results of
polls on this issue expressed by the majority of voters in that
constituency.
The candidates could be asked if their own views and that of their
Party manifesto corresponded with the polls, and if not, how they
intended to represent the will of the majority of local voters.
Local and National Press, Radio and TV coverage would be arranged
and the results published on this web site.
Here
is another powerful strategy for using your vote effectively in
the forthcoming General Election. Send your sitting and prospective
MPs a letter defining your requirements if they want your vote.
This example deals with the proposed
EU Constitutional Treaty.
Your
letters would end: "If you do not answer
this letter, I shall take it that you intend to follow the Government
line. I shall act accordingly in the forthcoming General Election.
Or
why not create a questionnaire that you send to all the candidates
in your constituency, getting them to give yes/no answers to questions
of your choice, and ending it with the same paragraph(above).
Download
a printable example of the questionnaire.
It
is high time for the people of this United Kingdom to stop allowing
themselves to be manipulated by politicians. We need our representatives
in Parliament to genuinely reflect the view of the majority in
their own constituency, even if this means going against their
personal and/or their party's policy. While they may argue their
case, hoping to change the minds of the majority in their constituency,
they should ultimately be obliged to reflect the majority view
of those who elect them.
It
will be argued by politicians of all parties that most voters
don't have the knowledge necessary to express an opinion on important
subjects at issue, and that our vote is a form of delegated democracy.
We should argue that it is their duty to ensure that we voters
do have ready access to such information as is necessary to form
an intelligent opinion. That, after all, is one main purpose of
Opposition Parties in our Parliamentary Democracy.
Most
important of all, such proceedings would rekindle in voters their
latent interest and obligation to cast their vote, knowing that
the candidate of their choice would be more likely to act in accordance
with their wishes. A much higher turnout in elections would be
the result.
Contact
your local Party Chairman. Gain his support for setting up public
forums in your constituency on these, as well as any other relevant
topics, well before the next General Election expected in 2005.
You should then, depending on the integrity of the candidate of
your choice, feel fairly certain that your view on any subject
being debated in Parliament will more accurately be reflected
by your representative in that assembly.
