PROPOSAL (IN PREPARATION) FOR ANALYSIS, ACTION AND REFORM
Contact:
Wallace-Macpherson
e-mail: wm@iniref.org
INTRODUCING (2024 DRAFT)
CITIZENS’ CHARTER OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL RIGHTS
The new government's policy statement "King's speech" and recent Labour party manifesto refer to possible future improvements in our democracy and participation in government plus modernisation of our state constitution. Citizens can take up these offers and make proposals to get them put into effect. Below we show some ways to proceed.
Measures to modernise the constitution will be introduced … My ministers will strengthen the integrity of elections and encourage wide participation in the democratic process. (King’s speech 16 July 2024).
“Most british people wish for and would support more effective ways to improve the quality of our government, democracy, political rights and state constitution.” (from Charter… below). Attempts to promote reform have tended to draft and promote a detailed, proposed version of a "codified" constitution. Most of these attempts have had little or no success. Now in 2024 we suggest a project which aims to name and promote several fundamental improvements to our democracy and public governance. These would help voters, citizens, to claim our right to more effective democracy with which we could promote further constitutional and other reform.
Proposal for action. We have harvested published ideas for reform and have drafted a short list of some, in our opinion, much needed changes to our state constitution and the ways in which we govern ourselves. As a tool for this effort we propose a concise charter or tract, drawing on our draft, which lists some overdue reforms. (Provisional header: "Practical steps, pointers for better ways to run our country"). The tract/charter should be widely circulated with requests for debate and suggestions for improvement. Effectively refined, the text can be published and distributed with a call to act, to build a focussed movement and political lobby for reform.
A draft version of a Charter of Democratic Political Rights is copied here. It includes priorities needed to improve and anchor democracy and suggestions about how we can define and ensure a fairer and more just state and society.
CITIZEN, DEMOCRACY AND CONSTITUTION
REFORM FOR BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
2024 DRAFTCITIZENS’ CHARTER OF DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL RIGHTS
Practical steps for better ways to run our country
Spread and debate this to promote meaningful reform
In our UK state the "highest level operating system" is flawed, unfit for purpose. For better quality of democracy and government we must act to affirm fundamental principles and clarify basic (constitutional) law. Here in brief are some practical ways to start:
Most british people wish for and would support more effective ways to improve the quality of our government, democracy, political rights and state constitution. To achieve this aim (better quality governance) we will name here some important steps for urgent consideration, for public and official debate:
1. Our right to democracy and the right of citizens to take part in government are not clearly defined in law or constitution: This must be corrected. Our constructive proposal follows here (item 2.):
2. A Bill of People's Rights shall guarantee in constitutional law: The United Kingdom is a democracy where all power in the state belongs to and emanates from the people; the people are "sovereign" (see item 6.). To date our UK state has been declared to be a "constitutional monarchy".
3. Prerogative: All state powers and executive (government or "crown") practice shall be subject to direct (by citizens, voters) or indirect (by elected parliaments) democratic scrutiny, supervision and rule. This includes and applies to those "prerogative" powers which over the years have been "taken over" by prime minister or government as well as to any "royal prerogative" powers which formally belong to the monarchy.
4. The parliamentary House of Lords HoL shall be reformed according to democratic principle. Hereditary, religious and any other non-democratic rights to sit in the HoL shall be immediately abolished and annulled.
5. Head of State: Monarchy as head of state cannot co-exist well with modern, fair and effective democracy. Some argue for the introduction of a republic with abolition of monarchy. A compromise as follows has been proposed: "... the Crown must be reinvented as a ceremonial figure-head, with many of the Crown's powers passed to parliament."
6. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights* (ICCPR) is legally binding and was ratified by the UK in 1976. The Covenant has been accepted by 173 countries. In Article 25 we find:
"Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity (....) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives"
This fundamental, constitutional right to high-quality democracy must be activated in public life for all citizens and at all levels of government. Ways for us to take part in our own governments, beyond voting once in a few years for MPs and councillors, must be effective, accessible and "user friendly"!
* International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is legally binding on countries which have ratified. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly December 1966, entry into force 23 March 1976. United Nations source https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx
Above text as PDF http://www.iniref.org/GovernanceC21.pdf OR http://home.snafu.de/mjm/GovernanceC21.pdf
The above draft charter should be widely circulated with requests for debate and suggestions for improvement. Effectively refined, the text can be published and distributed with a call to act, to build a focussed movement and political lobby for reform.
Author: Wallace-Macpherson. Copyright January 2024: PSAMRA, Guildford, Surrey.
Reproduction and broadcast of this text citing author and copyright holder are permitted.
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