Manifesto for a European Britain
The UK is in the midst of a period of crisis. Our institutions and leaders have largely failed us and the time for far-reaching reform is now. Even if the immediate Brexit crisis is averted, the UK will need to undergo a deep transformation in order to forge a new civil pact among the citizens of this country. Here are nine points to renew the British political and constitutional order, to revolutionise its many outdated systems and to modernise the country for the years to come, rather than let it languish in the false comfort of years that have been. Stopping Brexit would only be the beginning of building a new country.
1. Introduce Proportional Representation for all elections. First Past The Post is an antiquated and broken system that systematically denies people their voice and distorts the true result of elections. It is anti-democratic and should be replaced as soon as possible. This will also help bring to an end the artificial duopoly of the Labour and Conservative parties over our political life.
2. Break up corporate media ownership. The vast majority of the UK newspaper market is owned by just a handful of companies. This has stifled press pluralism and given excessive power to a select few to influence the national discourse. These media empires must be broken up (with an investigation into television news media too) with new laws put in place to prevent such a situation repeating itself.
3. Restore the BBC's independence and integrity. Remove those with ties to political parties from influential positions in the BBC while instituting a new culture, more willing to challenge the government. Our public broadcaster can only function so long as it remains impartial and dedicated to the facts. It has proven itself incapable of fulfilling this task, too often repeating the government's spin and has become a platform for little more than polarising provocateurs. A wholesale changing of the guard is needed to restore public trust.
4. A written constitution.* Much of the UK's constitutional order is based on unwritten rules and conventions. Brexit has demonstrated how the assumptions that underpinned this order have collapsed. Our system is simply no longer fit for purpose. We no longer live in a world where we can assume the good faith of political leaders and so we need a written constitution in order to set out, in unambiguous detail, all the powers of office and the division of responsibilities between Parliament, the government and the courts. This would also provide citizens a physical proof of their rights. The symbolism and power of being able to point to the words of the constitution when demanding your liberties should not be underestimated.
5. Federalise the UK. The UK's four nations have become increasingly estranged in recent years, with Scotland and Northern Ireland at risk of leaving entirely while England, in spite of its dominant role, feels underrepresented. We need to create a federal system for the country, based on the historic borders of the nations and counties. Each of these federal states would have their own representation, with equal powers and responsibilities. While the Westminster government would have some areas of privilege in policy-making, its ability to totally dominate the rest of the country would come to an end in favour of a collaborative system where the autonomy and political desires of the federal states had to be respected. This reconfiguration will be key for the survival of the British union.
6. Abolish the House of Lords. The House of Lords is an archaic hangover from when the UK was not a democracy. It has become bloated in size, stuffed with unqualified and undeserving political appointments. In the 21st century there is no excuse for a democratic Parliament to contain unelected members pushing for changes to new laws. The Lords should be replaced with an elected upper house, in the model of other democracies around the world.
7. Reform the monarchy. It does not need to be abolished, but there is a strong case for removing the monarchy's constitutional functions. The current situation of a head of state that has theoretically immense powers but which cannot be used at all for fear of being political is an absurdity. Whether we would be best served by an elected head of state with clearly defined and limited political powers or whether it would simply be enough to strengthen Parliament's hold over the government is an open question.
8. Create a new Parliament building. The current Houses of Parliament are in a dire state and in need of repair. The business of governing this country has also to a great extent outgrown the cramped premises built in the 1800s. It would also be a natural benefit to the harmony of this country to abandon the oppositional and divisive culture fostered by the design of the current building (two competing and opposing sides, facing one another) in favour of the hemicycle used by most modern Parliaments, where cooperation is encouraged.
9. Fully secularise. The state should have no official religion as the state should be the vehicle for people of all faiths and none. All have freedom of religion but this should play no constitutional role in the realm of politics. The Anglican Church's ties to the functions and offices of the state should be severed entirely.
* I know the correct term is codified but 'written' is the term most people would recognise.
1. Introduce Proportional Representation for all elections. First Past The Post is an antiquated and broken system that systematically denies people their voice and distorts the true result of elections. It is anti-democratic and should be replaced as soon as possible. This will also help bring to an end the artificial duopoly of the Labour and Conservative parties over our political life.
2. Break up corporate media ownership. The vast majority of the UK newspaper market is owned by just a handful of companies. This has stifled press pluralism and given excessive power to a select few to influence the national discourse. These media empires must be broken up (with an investigation into television news media too) with new laws put in place to prevent such a situation repeating itself.
3. Restore the BBC's independence and integrity. Remove those with ties to political parties from influential positions in the BBC while instituting a new culture, more willing to challenge the government. Our public broadcaster can only function so long as it remains impartial and dedicated to the facts. It has proven itself incapable of fulfilling this task, too often repeating the government's spin and has become a platform for little more than polarising provocateurs. A wholesale changing of the guard is needed to restore public trust.
4. A written constitution.* Much of the UK's constitutional order is based on unwritten rules and conventions. Brexit has demonstrated how the assumptions that underpinned this order have collapsed. Our system is simply no longer fit for purpose. We no longer live in a world where we can assume the good faith of political leaders and so we need a written constitution in order to set out, in unambiguous detail, all the powers of office and the division of responsibilities between Parliament, the government and the courts. This would also provide citizens a physical proof of their rights. The symbolism and power of being able to point to the words of the constitution when demanding your liberties should not be underestimated.
5. Federalise the UK. The UK's four nations have become increasingly estranged in recent years, with Scotland and Northern Ireland at risk of leaving entirely while England, in spite of its dominant role, feels underrepresented. We need to create a federal system for the country, based on the historic borders of the nations and counties. Each of these federal states would have their own representation, with equal powers and responsibilities. While the Westminster government would have some areas of privilege in policy-making, its ability to totally dominate the rest of the country would come to an end in favour of a collaborative system where the autonomy and political desires of the federal states had to be respected. This reconfiguration will be key for the survival of the British union.
6. Abolish the House of Lords. The House of Lords is an archaic hangover from when the UK was not a democracy. It has become bloated in size, stuffed with unqualified and undeserving political appointments. In the 21st century there is no excuse for a democratic Parliament to contain unelected members pushing for changes to new laws. The Lords should be replaced with an elected upper house, in the model of other democracies around the world.
7. Reform the monarchy. It does not need to be abolished, but there is a strong case for removing the monarchy's constitutional functions. The current situation of a head of state that has theoretically immense powers but which cannot be used at all for fear of being political is an absurdity. Whether we would be best served by an elected head of state with clearly defined and limited political powers or whether it would simply be enough to strengthen Parliament's hold over the government is an open question.
8. Create a new Parliament building. The current Houses of Parliament are in a dire state and in need of repair. The business of governing this country has also to a great extent outgrown the cramped premises built in the 1800s. It would also be a natural benefit to the harmony of this country to abandon the oppositional and divisive culture fostered by the design of the current building (two competing and opposing sides, facing one another) in favour of the hemicycle used by most modern Parliaments, where cooperation is encouraged.
9. Fully secularise. The state should have no official religion as the state should be the vehicle for people of all faiths and none. All have freedom of religion but this should play no constitutional role in the realm of politics. The Anglican Church's ties to the functions and offices of the state should be severed entirely.
* I know the correct term is codified but 'written' is the term most people would recognise.
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