Will Elections soon be unnecessary?

[davieG]

Where do we draw the line on enforced representation especially when the Government itself doesn't reflect the spread of votes?

They should concentrate on a few fundamentals like the Government being a true reflection of how votes are cast, ensuring a person's vote actually counts for something, making the life of an MP more 'normal', maybe even devolved Welsh, English, Scottish and N. Irish parliaments with a stripped down UK parliament.

Personally I'd be happy to vote for anyone of any ilk if they weren't tied to a political party bogged down by political dogma.

Women MP candidate quotas proposed

Obligatory quotas for the number of women put forward for selection as a parliamentary candidate by each political party have been proposed.

A cross-party conference chaired by Speaker John Bercow, acknowledged that its suggestion would be controversial.

The conference on diversity issues was commissioned by the prime minister.

It wants the parties either to improve the representation of women at the 2010 general election, or face mandatory quotas for the next one.

Family-friendly hours

Its report states: "We recognise that equality guarantees do not sit easily within some political party cultures.

"Yet, to date, the all-women shortlist has been the only mechanism to have produced a significant step-change in representation in the House of Commons in a relatively short period of time."

Its members also call for lists featuring only black and ethnic minority candidates, though they acknowledged such a move might undermine the principle that an MP represents the constituency regardless of background or politics.

The committee also called for more family-friendly hours for debates, remote voting, bursaries for people who otherwise could not afford to stand as a candidate, and limits on the money would-be candidates could spend to get selected.

Anne Begg MP, vice chair of the Speaker's Conference, said it welcomed the main parties' progree in ensuring selection procedures were more professional and objective.

"Yet the fact is that, in most cases, it remains more difficult for a candidate who does not fit the "white, male, middle class" norm to be selected, particularly if the seat is considered winnable.

"Our recommendations are aimed at putting that right, and I urge the government, political parties and parliament itself to implement them without delay."

Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader and minister for women and equality, said parliament must reflect the country MPs served.

"We agree that there is a real need to build on the desire for greater representation in our democratic structures," she said.

"This is a democratic deficit - the missing faces on the green benches are the missing voices in the chamber."

[Zingari]

over the last few years i've started to suspect that democracy is actually an illusion anyway, and the whole left - right paradigm a cruel deceit

There are none so enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free.

Goethe

[ozleicester]

A phone poll... or internet vote will do it for me

[DJ Barry Hammond]

I'm confused, how would men and women make babies without?

[ACF]

I will run for PM, as an independent.

[Zingari]

I'm confused, how would men and women make babies without?

velly funny

[ob1kanobe0]

I believe that we should move towards political partry areas, so for example, if you wana live under Labour rule, you live in Leicester, Oxford Conservatives and so-on, that way, you don't even need to vote except for say once in a while a national vote per party to see what area scale each party should rule over and of course to see who'll work as the Queen's government.

Where smaller party's have speradic councillors, you can create smaller areas for them rather than just applying a whole city. Or, for example Leicester, you could have an estate specifically for them.

The great thing about this is, if Labour totally run Leicester, then everyone living there will pull together, it couldn't be more successful.

[lou]

I believe that we should move towards political partry areas, so for example, if you wana live under Labour rule, you live in Leicester, Oxford Conservatives and so-on, that way, you don't even need to vote except for say once in a while a national vote per party to see what area scale each party should rule over and of course to see who'll work as the Queen's government.

Where smaller party's have speradic councillors, you can create smaller areas for them rather than just applying a whole city. Or, for example Leicester, you could have an estate specifically for them.

The great thing about this is, if Labour totally run Leicester, then everyone living there will pull together, it couldn't be more successful.

but DMU runs Leicester!