Shake it from the bottom up
There is a lot of talk about bringing the country back together again, but very little indication as to how this is to be done.
It seems we cannot rely on politics – as it stands – to do so. Recent events have shown very clearly indeed that democracy and the parliamentary system in the UK is broken and in urgent need of repair.
We think repair requires four fundamental changes: Proportional Representation (PR) in all elections – to make every vote count, not just those in marginal constituencies; a detailed, written constitution to prevent politicians, who choose to ignore the conventions which currently sustain it, from hijacking Parliament; abolition of the Royal Prerogative – in a 21st century democracy this is redundant to say the least; abolition of the unelected House of Lords and its replacement by a PR-elected upper chamber to review/revise legislation.
People are starting to understand the limitations and failings of the current system and are looking for answers. The Green Party has always advocated for a grass-roots, bottom up approach to democracy, with a written constitution decided by citizen-led assemblies, electoral reform, and much more power given to our regions. We need it now more than ever.
Change must happen if this troubled country is to really tackle many of the underlying problems that triggered Brexit but which continue unresolved.
We think our archaic and pseudo-democratic system hinders us from addressing the major issues of our time – climate and ecological breakdown, Brexit and securing a good quality of life for us all in a way that respects our planet’s limits.
The current turmoil at least gives hope that such change will happen. The Supreme Court has ruled that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful. In short, this means that the court has upheld parliamentary sovereignty, and thus helped to ensure that the executive cannot evade scrutiny.
This is a huge moment for our democracy, but one that must be built upon to ensure our parliament is truly representative of our nation in the 21st century, benefiting everyone, not just the usual suspects.
Steve Hale, South Shropshire Green Party
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