Hello 2007
Apologies for the extended Xmas break - we've had our considerable noses to the legal grindstone, scouring for precedent on how the hell we hold our representatives in Parliament to account. We've made sterling progress and discovered some potent possibilities - more news on this once we've had some feedback from the professionals.
Meantime, for the un-initiated here's a 7 minute summary of our journey so far featuring Sir Philip Mawer (Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards), Lord Tom Pendry (Labour MP for 30 years), Professor Conor Gearty (the motherlode on constitutional law) and some poor soul at the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Like it, like it
ReplyDeleteaAAAHHHH - so we give them our sovereignty, they can lie to us about what they do with it and every 5 years we're supposed to figure out whether we should give them another go or vote for another bunch of people to represent us. How are we supposed to know who's been doing a half-decent job if they can lie to us ?
ReplyDeleteIf Bliar's stepping down - doesn't that mean we'll have a Prime-minister who hasn't been elected to that position ?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete"If Bliar's stepping down - doesn't that mean we'll have a Prime-minister who hasn't been elected to that position ? "
Fairly standard proceedure all over the world (US vice-president steps in etc.) Stop whining you hippy.
a politician can be thrown out of the house if he or she questions another politicians validity?/ regardless of actual facts/truth?
ReplyDeleteYeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. Judge and jury in their own courtroom etc. When do WE get to throw someone out of the house ?
ReplyDeleteof course you are thrown out, the very idea of an 'honourable' member being accused of lying in the House is outrageous right?.....hmm
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that finding a method of accountability is more important that ever, we've had war, countless innocent deaths, financial losses and a public lynching and gotten no where fast. Someone needs to answer for it.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or does that Sir Philip fellow look like the tortoise in the cartoon thingy with the hare ?
ReplyDeleteWhere do I get a set of those chairs in Sir Phil's office ? They'd be perfect for my dining room.
ReplyDeleteCan I poach the receptionist from the Citizens Advice Bureau ? She's genius.
ReplyDeleteRecipe for a Politician
ReplyDelete1) Make sure they're ugly and taunt them for most of their childhood
2) Ensure a lack of friends leads to social anxiety and a sense of impotence
3) Leave to stew for approximately the time it takes them to discover they're unemployable (no-one else will work with them)
4) Check for bitterness/resentment rising to the top (normally indicated by a mild foaming at the mouth.
5) This process will have led to much soul-searching and inevitably leads to either a) suicide or b) self justification in the form of - everybody else is a moron, I should be running the country.
That should do it. Sign 'em up.
Too much like home cooking.
ReplyDeleteSuggest you microwave the lot of them.
Problem solved.
Tony B. Liar said...
ReplyDelete"Can I poach the receptionist from the Citizens Advice Bureau ? She's genius."
Can't you talk Mum into answering the phone ?
def agreement with grandmothers fart// very tortoise hare like.....
ReplyDelete"i only know what i believe" hey tony!!!!
Blair and Bush go on about democracy as though it is the ultimate goal for any society...they are supposedly trying to bring democracy to Iraq. This makes it all the more astonishing that in our 'democratic' society we have moved so far away from the notion that the government is there to serve the people (who have democratically elected it). When MPs are able to lie without consequence...when Tony Blair can lie to the public about the reasons for invading Iraq without facing any consequences THIS IS WRONG. Saddam Hussein ends up dead for ordering the murders of many people...Tony Blair has sent thousands of soldiers to their deaths and he has not faced any consequences for his war crimes. Hypocrisy.
ReplyDelete