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March 01, 2006
The POWER Inquiry Linkdump
Seems sensible to bring this back to the top, plenty more in there now. Have a good ol' read.
As before, spot anything new, shout in the comments.
In other news, I'm mulling over giving up cynical ranting and quoting HL Mencken for lent, but that looks like it might leave posting somewhat light, so I'm having to think it over again.
Electoral Reform Society press release
Power to the people, not anarchy in the UK
Leading article, The Daily Telegraph
End 'vanilla politics' by allowing votes at 16, says report
Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson, The Daily Telegraph
Red Baroness on mission to save democracy
Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson, The Daily Telegraph
Will the iPod generation see off party politics as we know it?
Rachel Sylvester, The Daily Telegraph
Chancellor backs proposals that would lower voting age to 16
Christopher Adams, The Financial Times
Brown backs scheme to engage lost voters with more power
Greg Hurst, The Times
'Toothless' Parliament is fighting fit
Peter Riddell, The Times
Power to the people! You've nothing to lose but your irritating neighbours
David Aaronovitch, The Times
Brown backs votes at 16 in radical shakeup of politics
Patrick Wintour, The Guardian
We have renewed Britain; now we must champion it
Gordon Brown, The Guardian
A cause whose time has come
Leading article, The Guardian
Special report: ending apathy
The Guardian
Without power of our own, we wait on the whims of politicians
Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian
The urgent need to return politics to the people
Leading article, The Independent
We need to download power - that is what voters want
Helena Kennedy, The Independent
Report's key recommendations
The Independent
Bleak view of the gulf between people and government
Nigel Morris, The Independent
Blueprint to give power to the people
Andrew Grice, The Independent
Opposition parties voice strong support for blueprint to boost democracy
Andrew Grice, The Independent
Brown seeks written code on relationship of MPs and executive
Steve Richards, The Independent
Brown in favour of votes for 16-year-olds
The Scotsman
Brown opens door to PR elections at Westminster
Michael Settle, The Herald
Time to give democracy spring-clean
Daily Post
Hansard Society welcomes Power Inquiry report
The Hansard Society (funnily enough)
Current system 'killing politics'
Politics.co.uk
Issue of the day: electoral reform (many articles)
Politics.co.uk
Brown backs debate on PR and votes at 16
ePolitix
Report urges democratic overhaul
ePolitix
Unbundling politics
Chris Dillow, Stumbling and Mumbling
Give citizens power to make laws, urges inquiry
Unity, Liberty Central
Reaction: Power Inquiry Report
Unity, Liberty Central
Power to the people
Peter Black AM
Power to the people (if they’re middle-aged)
Will Howells, No Geek Is An Island
The Power Inquiry Report
Campaign for an English Parliament
The Power inquiry: making politics breathe
Ferdinand Mount, Open Democracy
Power to the People - or Just Another Consultation Exercise
David Wilcox
POWER to the people
Paul Miller
Oh, go on then: (warning, idiocy abounds, as does Godwin's Law)
Voting reform won't bring a different result, John Rentoul, The Independent
Improve democracy - fund the BNP, Philip Cowley, Guardian News Blog
Posted by pauldavies on March 01, 2006
Comments
An initial reaction at
Posted by: a at February 27, 2006 02:02 PM
Reading Philip Cowley's silly rant reminds me of that Alexei Sayle skit in the Young Ones when he lists a load of apocalyptic things that might happen with the constant refrain "Is that wot you want? Cos that's wot's gonna happen!"
It was quite ridiculous and very silly then, and it's quite ridiculous and very silly now.
Posted by: James at February 27, 2006 07:34 PM
Reading the report, it states that:
"Importantly, we suggest that this money is restricted to activities conducted by parties or candidates within their constituency. This would solve the current problem of national parties increasingly spending large sums on national campaigning and leaving local parties with no funds to engage with citizens or campaign locally."
In other words, there would be no £500,000 "pot" for the BNP to access. Where they have no activists on the ground (i.e. most places) they wouldn't be able to spend it.
Posted by: James at February 27, 2006 07:42 PM
I remember that Sayle thing. Marvellous stuff.
Posted by: Paul Davies at February 28, 2006 10:05 AM
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