Yes, and I might add, with a proportional representation system, and a head of state who is elected to whatever powers they are given, as opposed to being born to it.
And we should be certain that fixed terms should be 4 (or at a push) 5 years. None of this 15 years that Clegg came up with. There should be no bishops of any sort, unless they stand for election. There should be no titles that go with the job. And no titles for the spouse or off spring, as at present.
Come on Britain move in to the 20th century, never mind the 21st.
It looks a lot more democratic when its empty, and the Plague Wagon has been round to scoop up all the drunkards, the barely sentient and the actual corpses.
Totally empty is it's best look yet, and I commend your photie to the house.
Apparently it is illegal to die in one of the houses of parliament.
I found this interesting list of other stupid laws. They are English laws, but I'm sure we hae our fair share of them too.
* IT is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. We're not sure what the punishment for this particular offence would be.
* IN a law passed in 1837, women are allowed to bite off a man's nose if he kisses her against her will.
* IF you're exercising your dog in the park and Princess Anne strolls into sight with her bull terriers, don't let Fido get overfriendly with the Regal Rovers. A law enacted by George I states that: "The severest penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal house."
* Proof that not all loopy laws come from the olden days is the UK's Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations of 2006. This makes it illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don't want him to know - but you don't have to tell him anything you don't mind him knowing.
* It is illegal to stand within one hundred yards of the reigning monarch when not wearing socks.
* A law passed by Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century bans the eating of mince pies on Christmas Day - because the festive treats were not considered puritan enough.
* In 1307 it was decreed that the head of any dead whale found on the British coast becomes the property of the king, while the tail belongs to the queen - should she need the bones for her right royal corset.
* Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London. This is marked by the ceremony of the Constable's Dues, where the Royal Navy moors a ship at the Tower Pier and the captain delivers his alcoholic tax.
* It's great if you are a Freeman of London. Not only are you allowed to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll, drive geese down Cheapside and get married in St Paul's Cathedral, but you will not get arrested if found drunk and disorderly.
* Welshmen are banned from entering the city of Chester before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
* If it's a sunny but frosty day you can forget having any fun. The spoilsport Town Police Clauses Act of 1847 bans the use of any slide upon ice or snow.
* Londoners are breaking the law if they have a pigsty outside their homes.
* In York you really can get away with murder, if you pick the right target. It is still legal to murder a Scotsman within the city's ancient walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow...
* ...and in Hereford, you may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close.
* In Lancashire, no person is permitted to incite a dog to bark after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore.
* A motorist who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.
* A law enacted by Edward VI states that anyone found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end will be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks.
* It is an offence to beat any carpet, rug or mat in any street in the Metropolitan Police District, although you are allowed to shake a doormat before 8am.
* It's not the drugs - it's the titfer that's got Pete Doherty in trouble this time. A 1797 law forbids people to wear top hats.
* And finally, think before you pop that letter in the postbox - or you could lose your head. It is an act of treason to stick a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.
I was talking to one of the staff in the office yesterday and they had no idea that the Queen or the HoL can veto Laws etc etc. They felt that we did live in a democracy and had no idea about the amount of money spent on the civil list, Windsor security, palaces, HoL exspences. I could not believe that someone so intelligent could be so wrong about the system of government in our country and it highlighted that they were neither that interested and that our system wants to keep people that way.
The HoL and unelected head of state are indefenceable in this day and age and I hate that I have never lived in a proper democracy, when various PM's and media types call us the mother of all democracies they should really be saying the mother of all democracies as we define it and one which keeps us where we want to be and where we want you to be. I was watching a programme about India and they definately took all the worst things from the UK including a class system as equally as disgusting as our own.
A future independent Scotland has to be a republic with an elected second chamber if we have one at all.
We were always told that the Queen couldn't interfere with the law and had no role in government. It turns out that that was a lie.
We were also led to believe that the HoL was only a revising chamber, where apparently wise heads could look over the law.
That turned out to be a lie too. The Lords can introduce legisaltion adn the government frequently does just that. And as for wise heads? Please. George Foulkes? Michelle Mone?
And we shouldn't forget that the government always has the Privy Council at its disposal.
They can have stuff that they know wouldn't be passed into law in the Commons, rushed through quietly by the PC on the nod from the monarch. The quorum for the PC is 3!!!!!
I've already mentioned this. Let's have a fully elected second chamber, with a small committee to oversee things such as expenses, attendance etc, The committee made up of non-political individuals selected from all walks of life, and working a term of a set period of time.
We need a second chamber to oversee legislation. And there are members who attend regularly and make solid contributions. However, the current system is a mess. You cannot have more HoL members than HoC, yet we have this situation.
If a democracy needs a second chamber, surely, it should be an elected one with a fixed term. Working along side, non-partisan, civil servants.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I might add, with a proportional representation system, and a head of state who is elected to whatever powers they are given, as opposed to being born to it.
DeleteAnd we should be certain that fixed terms should be 4 (or at a push) 5 years. None of this 15 years that Clegg came up with. There should be no bishops of any sort, unless they stand for election. There should be no titles that go with the job. And no titles for the spouse or off spring, as at present.
Come on Britain move in to the 20th century, never mind the 21st.
Now, that sounds like a democracy.
DeleteMunguin for King!!!
DeleteIt looks a lot more democratic when its empty, and the Plague Wagon has been round to scoop up all the drunkards, the barely sentient and the actual corpses.
ReplyDeleteTotally empty is it's best look yet, and I commend your photie to the house.
Apparently it is illegal to die in one of the houses of parliament.
DeleteI found this interesting list of other stupid laws. They are English laws, but I'm sure we hae our fair share of them too.
* IT is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. We're not sure what the punishment for this particular offence would be.
* IN a law passed in 1837, women are allowed to bite off a man's nose if he kisses her against her will.
* IF you're exercising your dog in the park and Princess Anne strolls into sight with her bull terriers, don't let Fido get overfriendly with the Regal Rovers. A law enacted by George I states that: "The severest penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal house."
* Proof that not all loopy laws come from the olden days is the UK's Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations of 2006. This makes it illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don't want him to know - but you don't have to tell him anything you don't mind him knowing.
* It is illegal to stand within one hundred yards of the reigning monarch when not wearing socks.
* A law passed by Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century bans the eating of mince pies on Christmas Day - because the festive treats were not considered puritan enough.
* In 1307 it was decreed that the head of any dead whale found on the British coast becomes the property of the king, while the tail belongs to the queen - should she need the bones for her right royal corset.
* Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London. This is marked by the ceremony of the Constable's Dues, where the Royal Navy moors a ship at the Tower Pier and the captain delivers his alcoholic tax.
* It's great if you are a Freeman of London. Not only are you allowed to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll, drive geese down Cheapside and get married in St Paul's Cathedral, but you will not get arrested if found drunk and disorderly.
* Welshmen are banned from entering the city of Chester before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
* If it's a sunny but frosty day you can forget having any fun. The spoilsport Town Police Clauses Act of 1847 bans the use of any slide upon ice or snow.
* Londoners are breaking the law if they have a pigsty outside their homes.
* In York you really can get away with murder, if you pick the right target. It is still legal to murder a Scotsman within the city's ancient walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow...
* ...and in Hereford, you may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close.
* In Lancashire, no person is permitted to incite a dog to bark after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore.
* A motorist who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.
* A law enacted by Edward VI states that anyone found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end will be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks.
* It is an offence to beat any carpet, rug or mat in any street in the Metropolitan Police District, although you are allowed to shake a doormat before 8am.
* It's not the drugs - it's the titfer that's got Pete Doherty in trouble this time. A 1797 law forbids people to wear top hats.
* And finally, think before you pop that letter in the postbox - or you could lose your head. It is an act of treason to stick a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down.
I always put stamps on upside down, petty it may be but, it's my wee rebellion.
DeleteIf next time I see you, you are minus your head, I will know the reason!
DeleteTris
ReplyDeleteI was talking to one of the staff in the office yesterday and they had no idea that the Queen or the HoL can veto Laws etc etc. They felt that we did live in a democracy and had no idea about the amount of money spent on the civil list, Windsor security, palaces, HoL exspences. I could not believe that someone so intelligent could be so wrong about the system of government in our country and it highlighted that they were neither that interested and that our system wants to keep people that way.
The HoL and unelected head of state are indefenceable in this day and age and I hate that I have never lived in a proper democracy, when various PM's and media types call us the mother of all democracies they should really be saying the mother of all democracies as we define it and one which keeps us where we want to be and where we want you to be. I was watching a programme about India and they definately took all the worst things from the UK including a class system as equally as disgusting as our own.
A future independent Scotland has to be a republic with an elected second chamber if we have one at all.
bruce
We were always told that the Queen couldn't interfere with the law and had no role in government. It turns out that that was a lie.
DeleteWe were also led to believe that the HoL was only a revising chamber, where apparently wise heads could look over the law.
That turned out to be a lie too. The Lords can introduce legisaltion adn the government frequently does just that. And as for wise heads? Please. George Foulkes? Michelle Mone?
And we shouldn't forget that the government always has the Privy Council at its disposal.
They can have stuff that they know wouldn't be passed into law in the Commons, rushed through quietly by the PC on the nod from the monarch. The quorum for the PC is 3!!!!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privy_Council_of_the_United_Kingdom
Most people know almost nothing about it, but there are around 650 of them that are entitled to call themselves the Rt Hon.
I agree that an independent Scotland should be a republic, and we should study whether it is necessary to have a second chamber.
I've already mentioned this. Let's have a fully elected second chamber, with a small committee to oversee things such as expenses, attendance etc, The committee made up of non-political individuals selected from all walks of life, and working a term of a set period of time.
ReplyDeleteWe need a second chamber to oversee legislation. And there are members who attend regularly and make solid contributions. However, the current system is a mess. You cannot have more HoL members than HoC, yet we have this situation.
zog