Reinventing Democracy

90% of electors want political reform. But how to escape the mess? Britain should adopt a federal structure with a written constitution and an elected apolitical People's Council replacing autocratic and ineffective bodies.

The result of "Take back control", "Get Brexit done", and "Change"

2024: We wanted change, but got new faces peddling the same old, same old...

2026: What we want is better public services, rising living standards (and please fix the potholes).

Why do we have to vote for tribes making empty promises, or often, tactically against the worst option?

Scotland and Wales are utterly fed up with England.

The obvious problem is excessive central control by the London elite.

The reasons for failure:

a. The governance system that emerged over three centuries ago cannot cope with the complex 21st century, now revealed by Brexit.

b. No channels for upward communication, inability to listen to the people.

c. Endless campaigns are permitted to let off steam, but are invariably ignored while conditions deteriorate. Example: the suffragettes took a century to gain the vote.

d. The entire premise of neoliberalism, which has resulted in people working harder and longer for less reward.

How to fix it all? A written constitution for a federal and regional UK:

Benefitsof a federal UK with regional powers:

1. Power devolved to the lowest level, no more absolute power to force anything through a central parliament.

2. Tax raising and expenditure combined, needs mutual financial support instead of specific funds to buy off the latest complaints (such as the latest pothole fund).

3. People more involved in our democracy, but this requires prohibition of character assassination.

4. People should vote for policies, not images. Needs a law that all communications be “fair, clear, and not misleading”.

5. Reduced patronage, less scope for rip-off financial engineering, policy divergence becomes possible, resulting in a more contented people.