Improving Democracy

 

If we look at the British political scene, the general public are not amused. They see MPs as unapproachable, remote in Westminster, earning a good amount of money and generally enjoying themselves at everybody's expense.

I should also say that I've known four MPs pretty well. Two I would lend my last pound to and the others are the sort of people, I'd count my fingers after I'd left. The first two are still in the House of Commons.

The first thing we must do is to solve this problem of remoteness. So how?

1. Every MP must have a web site and form-based e-mail system for contact. I also think that this should be paid for centrally. As someone, who has written a book called Making the Most of the Internet, I know that this is one area where MPs can get a better rapport with their constituents.

2. I would also want to see a central focus in each constituency, where MPs hold surgeries, the business of Parliament is laid out and there is a library of other important information. Perhaps it would have a staff of about three to five, would be independent of party and above all, it would not change when the MP changed party. This would mean that if you had business with your MP, then you'd know where to go.

3. These central foci would be linked to web sites and other means of communication so that everybody in the constituency is fully informed.

4. At election times, these central foci would be available to all parties, with copies of party manifestos etc.

One of the side affects of properly organising the way an MP, his constituency and the constituents communicate would be to move one of the larger parts of political funding to say be controlled by a central impartial commission. This might mean that political parties need less funding. And less from dubious sources!

I believe that only if democracy is improved in ways such as this will the public be prepared to even look at new ways of funding.

Ironically, doing what I suggest, may actually alleviate that need.