The great Tory power grab: how they plan to rule for ever
Shutting the door on democracy: The Tories are “rigging the system massively”, it seems.
Since the Conservatives won their crafty but narrow election victory in May, they have made other subtle and not-so-subtle adjustments to the playing field of British politics. In October, they gave MPs in England, where their majority is much more solid than in the UK as a whole, greater voting rights than non-English MPs on matters deemed to affect England alone – “English votes for English laws”, or Evel for short.
In August, the prime minister David Cameron created 26 new Conservative peers. Even the usually Tory-supporting Times was uncomfortable at what it saw as an ongoing effort to “pack” the sporadically rebellious House of Lords with government supporters: “Mr Cameron has now created more peers than any other modern prime minister.” Government proposals for taming the Lords further, by reducing its powers to veto legislation, are expected to be slipped out before Christmas.
The current trade union bill, too, looks like an attempt to give the Tories an impregnability that their small Commons majority does not. By requiring that trade unionists take the trouble to opt in individually to union funds for political parties, even though those funds are already subject to regular ballots, the bill threatens to cut off much of Labour’s largest and longest-established source of money. Meanwhile, the bill’s many proposals to make strikes and other union activities more difficult, particularly in the public sector, suggest a state-shrinking government crudely trying to minimise opposition to its policies. In September, the Financial Times, usually no friend of unions, said the bill was “out of proportion”, and would “threaten basic rights of assembly and free expression”.
This year, the government has also increasingly menaced the BBC, another potential centre of resistance, or at least, subjected it to inconvenient scrutiny. During the election campaign, according to the corporation’s then political editor Nick Robinson, Cameron responded to a BBC story that displeased him by telling journalists: “I’m going to close them down after the election.” Within days of winning it Cameron appointed John Whittingdale, long an advocate of drastically shrinking the BBC, as his culture secretary, responsible for negotiating the BBC’s charter, which sets out how the corporation operates, and which expires next year.
“The Tories have found themselves in government, probably to their surprise, and they’ve realised that their hold on power is thin,” says Norman Baker, the former Lib Dem MP and coalition minister, who lost his seat in May. “They want to make sure they stay there.” … The Labour MP Chris Bryant, shadow leader of the Commons, is blunter: “I think the Conservatives are rigging the system massively.”
Source: The great Tory power grab: how they plan to rule for ever | Politics | The Guardian
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Of course the Tories will attempt to rig it all so that they alone will benefit. I doubt this Government would ever have any thoughts otherwise
If they hang on too long, the voters will get very bored of them like they did in 1997 when Major got ejected.
Why is it OK for Scots to vote on English laws, but the English are not allowed to vote on Scottish laws? Is it that this was written by a Scot who wants to rip off the English even more and get them to pay for all of Mrs Crankie’s cranky racist schemes.
The reasons why ‘English-only’ legislation would not be fair are well-rehearsed: As a huge majority of what happens in England affects the other countries in the UK as well, it is perfectly reasonable for representatives of people in the other UK countries to have a say in English legislation. The same cannot be said of laws made in and for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland under current rules.
Also, in practise, MPs representing Scotland etc abstain from voting on the few remaining laws that specifically affect England alone, unless there is a particularly strong reason for them to participate.
Perhaps you were unaware of these facts.
Otherwise, it seems the rest of us have found a racist, but you haven’t.
It is time someone in authority in Labour stood up and at least made an attempt to stop this Tory government from manipulating democracy to suit themselves rather than the general public whom they are supposed to serve not deprive.
How do you propose they do that, when the Tories have a Parliamentary majority and can vote down any Labour proposals?
they have majority of 12 just saying
Cheating, Corruption, Bullying, Dishonesty. They all come naturally to the Tories. What, I ask, are the majority going to do about this blatant and corrupt gerrymandering?
They know that once corbyn gets into power their days of greed power and monopolisation will be finished. The tories, bankers and the aristocracy know their only hope left is to cheat their way into staying in power.
They all sound iike sensible policies. Don’t forget the reduction of the number of MPs and the redrawing of constituency boundaries. There is also the tougher tests for registering to vote. I would also expect a new restriction on postal voting soon.
Don’t you think Labour would do the same in similar circumstances? I expect Labour to remain in the wilderness for quite a few years until they move away from the left and a neo-Blair is leader.
Reduction of number of MPs = reduction in democracy.
Redrawing of constituency boundaries = intentional skewing of constituency populations to favour the Conservatives.
Tougher tests for registering to vote = intentionally putting people off registering.
All of these things are anti-democratic, yet you think they are “sensible policies”. You are a Tory.
The message to everyone else is clear: Don’t be a Tory. Don’t support the Tories. Discourage others from supporting Tories.
You state that you would expect a new restriction on postal voting soon, from the Tories. This is the organisation that claims it is the party of choice!
It is the party of restriction.
And the aim is to restrict anybody from voting, who is likely to vote the Tories out.
No – Labour would not do the same.
Considering your other expectations, nobody need concern themselves about your expectations of Labour.
The people are sick of neoliberal claptrap – from your loathsome Tories or infiltrators into the Labour Party. They want a genuine alternative.
That must scare the living daylights out of people like you.
Don’t forget the impact of Individual Electoral Registration, which will strike disproportionate numbers of young people and those in private rented accommodation off the electoral register.
The English need their own Parliament and not allow Scots to interfere.
The reasons why ‘English-only’ legislation would not be fair are well-rehearsed: As a huge majority of what happens in England affects the other countries in the UK as well, it is perfectly reasonable for representatives of people in the other UK countries to have a say in English legislation. The same cannot be said of laws made in and for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland under current rules.
Also, in practise, MPs representing Scotland etc abstain from voting on the few remaining laws that specifically affect England alone, unless there is a particularly strong reason for them to participate.
Perhaps you were unaware of these facts.
they will never rule for ever and they know it
The Conservative majority is better than 12. Sin Feinn have 4 seats but have never turned up in Parliament. The DUP have 8 seats. They would never vote against the government on a serious issue or no confidence. Don’t forget that the Conservative Party used to be the Conservative and Unionist Party. Overall , the government has a working majority of over 30.
If we don’t stop them, this will become reality, everyone within politics and us the people should stand against them so they don’t get their way like they usually do!