Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 33 views

    7 Policy Briefing Constitutional Affairs

    Uploaded by

    Piotr Wójcicki
    The Liberal Democrats propose several reforms to make the British political system more democratic and responsive to citizens: 1) Introduce a written constitution with a Bill of Rights to limit government power and protect individual rights like environmental protections. 2) Devolve more power from central government to local governments, communities, and individuals by reducing the number of government departments and ministers and giving regional assemblies more autonomy. 3) Reform political funding by capping donations, increasing public funding for parties, and increasing transparency around union contributions to gain public trust in the political process.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    7 Policy Briefing Constitutional Affairs

    Uploaded by

    Piotr Wójcicki
    33 views2 pages
    The Liberal Democrats propose several reforms to make the British political system more democratic and responsive to citizens: 1) Introduce a written constitution with a Bill of Rights to limit government power and protect individual rights like environmental protections. 2) Devolve more power from central government to local governments, communities, and individuals by reducing the number of government departments and ministers and giving regional assemblies more autonomy. 3) Reform political funding by capping donations, increasing public funding for parties, and increasing transparency around union contributions to gain public trust in the political process.

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The Liberal Democrats propose several reforms to make the British political system more democratic and responsive to citizens: 1) Introduce a written constitution with a Bill of Rights to limit government power and protect individual rights like environmental protections. 2) Devolve more power from central government to local governments, communities, and individuals by reducing the number of government departments and ministers and giving regional assemblies more autonomy. 3) Reform political funding by capping donations, increasing public funding for parties, and increasing transparency around union contributions to gain public trust in the political process.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    33 views2 pages

    7 Policy Briefing Constitutional Affairs

    Uploaded by

    Piotr Wójcicki
    The Liberal Democrats propose several reforms to make the British political system more democratic and responsive to citizens: 1) Introduce a written constitution with a Bill of Rights to limit government power and protect individual rights like environmental protections. 2) Devolve more power from central government to local governments, communities, and individuals by reducing the number of government departments and ministers and giving regional assemblies more autonomy. 3) Reform political funding by capping donations, increasing public funding for parties, and increasing transparency around union contributions to gain public trust in the political process.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Liberal Democrats Policy Briefing 7

    CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
    The way Britain’s run means the Government doesn’t have to listen to you. One party can get control
    over Parliament even if only a quarter of people vote for them. So individual people and families don’t
    seem to have a voice to influence what happens. The old parties are comfortable because they know
    they’ll get into government every few years – so they never change things and they never will. But
    people are fed up of being ignored. It’s time to make real change happen. We need to have an open
    political system that’s designed to listen to people and deliver what they need. Everyone should have an
    equal voice – not just people who can pay for big donations.

    The Liberal Democrats will throw open the doors of government, reinvigorate Britain’s democracy and
    give power back to people. We will modernise government so that it serves the interests of all people,
    not just the vested interests of politicians, corporations or rich donors. Liberal Democrats plan to reform
    government so there will be no more privileged patronage, no more dodgy dossiers, no more excessive
    secrecy. Government should uphold the law, as well as our liberties, not seek ways to undermine them.
    We will create a British democracy for the 21st century that people can be proud of.

    A Written Constitution for Britain


    Britain has no written constitution. We have no binding Bill of Rights that protects our people from the
    actions of an irrational government. The Liberal Democrats will seek the public’s approval to introduce a
    written constitution for Britain that defines and limits the power of government, with a Bill of Rights at its
    heart to protect individual rights – including, for the first time, the right to a clean environment. The Bill
    of Rights will strengthen and entrench the rights guaranteed in the Human Rights Act which we have
    consistently supported. The constitution should also set out the powers of Parliament, Ministers, Judges,
    the Head of State and the national assemblies.

    Handing Power Back - Cutting Central Government


    We need a political system that gives every voter real power. Devolution to Scotland and Wales did not
    go far enough – the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly should get more powers. We need to
    take control away from central government, where bureaucrats and ministers are in charge, and give it to
    local government, people and communities. By making government smaller at the centre, we can make
    sure that more of the money that’s spent in your area is raised locally too. That way you get a real choice
    over what happens. We will:
    Cut the excessive number of government departments and reduce the number of
    government ministers.
    Move government bureaucracy out of London, saving money on office rents and spreading
    wealth and jobs more equally through the UK. The savings will be spent on better public services.
    Consult the Scottish Parliament about how to extend its role.
    Give the Welsh Assembly the same powers held by the Scottish Parliament.
    Replace the existing Barnett formula for allocating grants with a new needs-based equalisation
    formula.
    Give people in England the choice of having directly elected regional assemblies where
    approved through referendums which would take powers and functions from central government
    and unelected quangos. In other areas we will encourage local authorities to form partnerships to
    take on the necessary strategic decision-making roles.

    Political Funding
    The issue of cash for honours and large donations to particular parties by individuals undermines public
    confidence in the political system, and the democratic process. People are seen as being able to buy
    influence, and peerages, thereby influencing political decisions. Without a clean up of the way political
    This briefing contains Federal Liberal Democrat policies. The policies of the Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats
    and the Northern Ireland local party apply on issues which are their responsibility within our Federal policy-making structure.
    Published by Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB
    Liberal Democrats Policy Briefing 7
    parties are funded people will not have trust in the integrity of the political parties and involvement in
    the political process will continue to decline. We’ve got to stop big donors from bankrolling the big
    parties to get their way with our country. We will:
    Put a cap of £25,000 on political donations so no one can able to buy influence over our
    elected Parliament.
    Introduce tough new rules so that MPs’ expenses are independently audited and receipts
    are required for every penny.
    Place limits on spending by political parties outside elections.
    Introduce state funding of parties broadly related to the votes gained in the previous general
    election, with regional party funding being based on their performance within the relevant area.
    Voters will also be able to nominate a party (or none) to which public funding should be donated,
    and either a local branch or the central party HQ.
    Make political contributions from trade union members subject to a clear and transparent
    process linking the intention of the member to the destination of the donation.

    Fair Votes
    Liberal Democrats will give people a fair voting system where every person’s voice counts. It’ll put power
    into individuals’ hands to choose people who truly represent them. And it’ll force politicians to listen to
    ordinary people all the time – not just when there’s an election on. We will:
    Introduce the fair single transferable vote (STV) system, as used in Scottish local elections, to all
    local elections across Britain, and to the Westminster Parliament, Scottish Parliament and Welsh
    Assembly. This system would give parties seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive,
    ensure better representation of ethnic minorities and women in Parliament and allow people to
    choose between different candidates from the same party. Under this system MPs would still
    represent a constituency.
    Reform the European electoral system allowing people to choose individual candidates for
    the European Parliament, rather than vote by party only as at present.
    Give young adults the right to vote and stand for election at 16. If you are old enough to work
    and pay income tax you have the right to a say over how those taxes are spent.

    Reforming Parliament- Holding Government to Account


    Prime Ministers have for many years in effect been able to use the Royal Prerogative to make treaties and
    declare war. We will curb this excessive concentration of power, cut back the powers of patronage and
    increase the effectiveness of Parliament in scrutinising the activities of the government. We will:
    Give select committees greater power of examination, including vetting new Secretaries of
    State before they take office.
    Give Parliament the outdated Royal Prerogative powers, such as the current war-making
    powers of the Prime Minister.
    Introduce a Civil Service Commission which would put the Civil Service on a proper, accountable
    basis through a Civil Service Act.
    Reform the role of the Attorney General, including ensuring that legal advice is given publicly.
    We believe that all politicians should be removed from responsibility for deciding on prosecutions.
    Introduce a War Powers Act which will provide that formal declarations of war will have to be
    approved by Parliament. British troops could still defend themselves if attacked, or the government
    could order emergency military action when faced with an act of aggression – however the Act
    would specify that commitments of troops in such an emergency could only continued beyond a
    defined time limit with parliamentary approval.
    Introduce fixed parliamentary terms of four years.

    The House of Lords is still unelected and illegitimate. It is unacceptable for a modern democracy to have
    one house of Parliament appointed by patronage. Our policy is to replace the House of Lords with a
    wholly elected second chamber.
    This briefing contains Federal Liberal Democrat policies. The policies of the Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats
    and the Northern Ireland local party apply on issues which are their responsibility within our Federal policy-making structure.
    Published by Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB

    You might also like