Today a major report from The Power Inquiry which suggests Democracy in British is at a ‘Meltdown’! If you are interested in the report it can be found at http://www.powerinquiry.org/ It simply states that that Political trust in politicians is in a secular decline citing the 2001 and 2005 General election poor turnout. Interesting to note a paradox here because while there has been increasing amount of party pressure trying to get people into politics over the past decade it has also demonstrated lower participation in elections. The problem that academics as well as politicians have is trying to figure out why and how best to improve it. However, the document also suggests major changes that will help solve this. (This is where it gets debatable!)

Major changes include:

1) Donations on political parties to be capped at £10,000
2) A "voter vouchers" system, where individuals indicate if they wish to allocate £3 of state funding to a particular party
3) Voters given the chance to put forward laws
4) The voting age, and the minimum age where people can stand for Parliament, to be reduced to 16
5) A 70%-elected House of Lords
6) Monthly logs to monitor ministerial contact with companies, lobbyists and pressure groups
Restrictions on the powers of party whips

I believe some of these changes are too radical (as a Conservative would always say) For example, the voting age has always been a contentious issue for me. I believe in the words of Oliver Heald, Shadow Constitutional Affairs secretary:

“Lowering the voting age would do nothing to address the underlying problems of political disillusionment, and would just lead to young people abstaining from an even earlier age”

I don’t think that people at the age of 16 really have a satisfactory understanding of the political climate that gives them the right to vote. Although, at the same time, there are a lot of older people that don’t have a clue. But in proportion 16 is to low an age to vote in an ever complex political system. Maybe you guy’s disagree – be nice to hear your comments!?! Those who argue they pay taxes and so they should get a vote only reinforces the argument for students to stay in education (to 18) so we can live in a more educated society.

Another point that isn’t stressed enough in the papers is that it (report) wants to allow 16 year olds to stand at election. I think this is stupid, from my perspective at the age of 21 I think that I’m not old enough to understand the real issues that effect people. We have been in education (a bubble) all our lives and we have no real experience in the world and we cant really relate our experiences to the problems Britain faces in the 21st Century.

I think its absured that party donations should be capped at £10,000. I believe that any one in a society should be allowed to give as much as they like – talk about civil liberties!!

Finally, I think this report should be taken on board with the Ken Clarke’s Democracy Task Force – Restoring trust in politics. http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=democracy.taskforce.page
But overall the report only shifts the problems and does not deal with the real problems that faces politics.

By the way this is the 100th post !!