Democracy UK: An Argument for a Third Age in the Development of Our Democracy

By Roger Wilson

The reader is asked to consider our democracy as it is today and whether increasing our level of representation in Parliament using a system of total voting will unite society and improve our governance.  Having made the consideration the reader is then plunged into the 'what could be,' an array of thoughts, practises, and procedures that will bring society's needs closer to governance. Statistical data is set to a minimum so as not to divert the reader from the objective of making people think about what they have and then what they could have.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398456099

Roger Wilson

The author spent 25 years, between 1967 and 1992, as a political activist in the Liberal Party holding many positions including ward, constituency and county chairmanships. In addition, he served on the Home Counties forum and was a member of the National Council for a number of years. From this, he was invited onto the National Agenda committee; a post he never took up. The introduction of four socialist MPs into the party without membership approval, tilted the political direction of the Liberal Party. This started the author to consider the role of our democracy and the limitations it imposes on our representation, governance and society in general. Married to the light of his life with two children and two grandchildren.

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About the Author

The author spent 25 years, between 1967 and 1992, as a political activist in the Liberal Party holding many positions including ward, constituency and county chairmanships. In addition, he served on the Home Counties forum and was a member of the National Council for a number of years. From this, he was invited onto the National Agenda committee; a post he never took up.

The introduction of four socialist MPs into the party without membership approval, tilted the political direction of the Liberal Party. This started the author to consider the role of our democracy and the limitations it imposes on our representation, governance and society in general.

Married to the light of his life with two children and two grandchildren.

Dedication

To Sally

Copyright Information ©

Roger Wilson 2023

The right of Roger Wilson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398456082 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398456099 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

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Acknowledgements

Peter Heaton-Jones (former MP) – whose constructive comments on the 2022 draft have been much appreciated by the author.

The Shape of Things to Come

Part 1: The Concept

Introduction

The object of my thinking is to address the un-argued assumption that political parties and their party politicians, who are elected to parliament to represent us, are also the best and most capable people to govern the United Kingdom. Over the centuries, our democracy has developed to a stage where every adult has a vote yet our parliament and governance in terms of democracy has not developed in concert with our improved circumstances. The underlying flaw with our democratic politics is that your member of parliament (MP) only has one vote with which to represent about 40000 people’s opinion, this is not possible and hence their vote cannot be representative of all their constituents. We are now a nation of individuals with a vote and differing opinions that vary dependent on the subject and while we have a vote at the ballot box we do not have a representative vote in parliament. Through the procedure of one MP one vote the political party in power, not the electorate, controls the way parliament votes, which is not representative of the electorate but representative of the political party with the majority of MPs in the parliament. The reason for one MP one vote is summed up by Edmund Burke, an MP from 1766 to 1794, who is reputed to have said, ‘Your MP owes you, not his industry only but his judgement and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion’. In the days of Edmund Burke, the majority of the population did not have the vote or a meaningful education so the function of the MP, as an educated man, was to apply his judgement of a situation on your behalf. Outside the House of Westminster, the nation has moved on since the eighteenth century into the technology age yet inside the House of Westminster the principles, the rules that control our representation and governance, remain as described by Edmund Burke.

When we think about democracy, we think it is all about politics, it is not, and should not be, because it is the level of democracy that is the foundation platform from which the living standards of society are determined. From this start point if we improve the level of our democracy by bringing it into a new age, society as a whole is lifted. Democracy is about bringing together the people through representative service; it is not a tool of the party politicians to manipulate in the pursuit of their own political faith and power.

We owe it to the party politicians for the growth of democracy over the centuries but half a century ago, we reached a plateau at which point party politics turned in on itself by setting a course that divided the nation rather than bringing it together. The differing faiths of the political parties became more polarised with the progressive rise of the socialist movement and as a result, the application of democracy has been overwhelmed by an exaggerated focus on grabbing power where control, by means of that power, is more important than the fair distribution of the service that a democratically elected government is expected to deliver.

Many commentators observe and write on the failings of our governance, they are quick to find fault and offer up putty to fix it but never an alternative. My argument offers a broadening of our democracy which in turn would require some changes to our governance. My principle argument is to introduce total voting in our parliament (House of Commons). Such an idea is now possible as information technology advances, it will mean a different role for our MPs and a total change in our governance and the second chamber. It separates the role of parliament from government and in so doing provides the opportunity to re-define the roles of parliament and government giving the electorate clarity of purpose when in the voting booth.

We live in a democracy and it is therefore incumbent on the reader to understand this argument is the thought of one person in 60 million and, as a result, carries no weight. No change will happen until a movement that is strong enough to gain power in parliament is achieved. My argument is divided into two parts, the first considers our society as it is today and the role democracy plays in it and this leads to how the current system of democracy will enable those wishing to move democracy forward will be able to achieve such a goal. The second part is nothing more than a guess at how our governance will work given the introduction of total voting; the checks and balances, the equal rights of all citizens, justice, the role of the second chamber and select committees, the role of returning officers and the parliamentary standards committee, and many more considerations. Whatever route is taken after the introduction of total voting the party politician’s hold on manipulative power will be gone.

Society is what we are and not something that can be simply changed, we are a mismatch of individuals who have evolved from one generation to the next and who collectively are society. Democracy, on the other hand, is a man-made tool and therefore can be changed if society is to move forward, the starting point is to re-tool democracy to equip society with a system of governance compatible with the needs and aspirations of society. It is time for the argument for a third age of democracy to be made.

Roger Wilson

First drafted 2000

Re-drafted 2008

Finalised 2020

The Ages of Democracy

The First Age of Democracy

The concept of democracy goes back to the ancient philosophers of Greece but having the ideas and putting them into practice is another matter. In England, the moment the democratic light was switched on was when King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. At the time the Barons were looking to safeguard their privileges but in doing took the precaution of enshrining their gain in law. Magna Carta established a King’s council to oversee the application of the charter and this was to evolve to become parliament. While some statutes of Magna Carta remain, the majority have been replaced or superseded as our society has developed.

Up until 1215, the King owned and controlled everything and everybody; his word was law. At that time it is unlikely anyone had heard the word democracy let alone how it could be applied and what the outcomes would be. From 1215, it was not just a parliament that started to develop but also the ground was laid for society in general to move forward. In those early years, class was everything, you were either upper class and one of the nobility or you were subservient. Society’s development has gone hand in glove with the development of parliament, not as a casual spin-off or through a programme of designed legislation but stimulated by the needs and greed of those in power. As parliament made more demands on the Monarchy to transfer power to them so democracy grew which has resulted in a