4 comments* after the Grenfell Tower disaster, about treatment of British citizens by politicians and authorities. Our political rights: failures of democracy and government. Proposals for improvement. * marked A,B,C,D
EXCERPT
In the UK it seems that we do not want to accept what it means to be democratic. In a democracy the *people*, acting through the electorate, are sovereign. So we citizens must be respected by officials and elected public servants such as council leaders and MPs. We must learn what is meant by and claim for ourselves the *political rights* of modern democracy. These include not only the ability to choose politicians once every few years but also the right to launch a binding referendum on any public matter, with the ability of the electorate to veto bad or unwanted council or government action or laws. To "install" new democratic rights will need parliamentary legislation, a Democracy and Citizens' Political Rights Act or similar. For this we need a movement for effective reform – could a Charter for Democracy help to inform, educate and mobilise pressure on our MPs ?
A.
"Grenfell Tower residents, it quickly emerged, had long been fighting for their own safety and warning of an imminent catastrophe if their calls were not acted upon." (The Guardian 3 July 2017)
Our democracy is too weak both at local level and centrally. People find that for a wide range of problems and challenges which they encounter, things which should be dealt with by government or other public bodies, it is extremely difficult or near impossible to get a useful and reasonably rapid response to their communications and expressions of concern.
We could improve matters by introducing some additional, effective methods of democracy and public participation. For instance, the right of members of the public to demand and obtain a public inquiry or local hearing. This could have enabled the residents of Grenfell, perhaps having formed a pressure groups with people living in similar housing across the borough, to obtain action on safety issues. More detail may be found at www.iniref.org
A related "method" of democracy is the people's proposition or "initiative", which enables a large group of residents to put forward a proposal for action by a council, or a law, which must be put to referendum if rejected by the council.
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ID8629243 replied to iniref
Your final paragraph concerning "a large group of residents to put forward a proposal for action by a council,or a law,which must be put to referendum if rejected by the council."
Suppose this large group of residents decide they would like something expensive, eg an indoor swimming pool and a gymnasium ? Many may vote for this,especially those that own their flats.They'd see the value of their properties increase on the strength of this plan,and could then sell for an even bigger profit,even before the pool is built.
I don't think it's a good idea because eventually the cost would have to be met by the tenants,who may be struggling with the rent/mortgage as it is.
iniref responded:
ID8629243 wrote, "Suppose this large group of residents decide they would like something expensive, eg an indoor swimming pool and a gymnasium ?"
There's little risk of the effects which you warn about. This type of issue-based democracy takes place in a political unit such as a council area or local parish. The "large group of residents" (a minority) can put forward and endorse a proposal but the decision about it is made by all of the voters/residents in a ballot.
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B.
To a similar article:
How power operates in modern Britain: with absolute contempt. Aditya Chakrabortty The Guardian 3 June 2017
"When Grenfell Tower burned down, killing at least 80 men, women and children, one campaigner told the Financial Times: “It was not that we stayed silent, but that they never responded. It was not just that they ignored us, but that they viewed us with contempt.”"
INIREF commented
If our political representatives and authorities hold "ordinary" voters in contempt, then a partial remedy would be to promote political and civic empowerment of our citizens.
We wrote a few hours ago in response to the article by Eve Livingston, Conspiracy theorists? No: the Grenfell survivors are right to distrust the state:
"Our democracy is too weak both at local level and centrally. People find that for a wide range of problems and challenges which they encounter, things which should be dealt with by government or other public bodies, it is extremely difficult or near impossible to get a useful and reasonably rapid response to their communications and expressions of concern."
To read the comment and replies see https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/03/conspiracy-theorists-grenfell-tower-survivors-hillsborough#comment-101449858
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C.
The Glasgow Herald wrote, "Sir Martin Moore-Bick previously indicated his investigation would be limited to the causes of the deadly fire, why it spread so quickly and how it could be prevented in future. But survivors suggested they were prepared to abandon the process unless the parameters were broadened to consider systemic issues, such as why residents’ concerns about fire safety were allegedly ignored by authorities."
"When Grenfell Tower burned down, killing at least 80 men, women and children, one campaigner told the Financial Times: “It was not that we stayed silent, but that they never responded. It was not just that they ignored us, but that they viewed us with contempt.”" (Guardian 3 July 2017)
INIREF comment posted 4 7 2017
If our political representatives and authorities hold "ordinary" voters in contempt, then a partial remedy would be to promote political and civic empowerment of our citizens.
Our democracy is too weak both at local level and centrally. People find that for a wide range of problems and challenges which they encounter, things which should be dealt with by government or other public bodies, it is extremely difficult or near impossible to get a useful and reasonably rapid response to their communications and expressions of concern.
We could improve matters by introducing some additional, effective methods of democracy and public participation. For instance, the right of members of the public to demand and obtain a public inquiry or local hearing. This could have enabled the residents of Grenfell, perhaps having formed a pressure groups with people living in similar housing across the borough, to obtain action on safety issues. More detail may be found at www.iniref.org
A related "method" of democracy is the people's proposition or "initiative", which enables a large group of residents to put forward a proposal for action by a council, or a law, which must be put to referendum if rejected by the council. This procedure could be used in a preventive or precautionary mode, as a response to deficits in safety of buildings and for many other issues.
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D.
This sounds familiar: Joy Bullivant wrote in Open Democracy 7 July 2017 "Any Councillor that objects finds themselves
suspended. Any resident that does so is threatened with legal action. Councils have lost the art of consultation and now are simply a sham as far as democracy goes as the Council Leader can over rule everyone." Above brat673 wrote, "Lets have a debate on our rights and "RESPONSIBILITIES" as citizens clearly defined. Give us the right to vote down legislation written in that past parliament".
In the UK it seems that we do not want to accept what it means to be democratic. In a democracy the *people*, acting through the electorate, are sovereign. So we citizens must be respected by officials and elected public servants such as council leaders and MPs. We must learn what is meant by and claim for ourselves the *political rights* of modern democracy. These include not only the ability to choose politicians once every few years but also the right to launch a binding referendum on any public matter, with the ability of the electorate to veto bad or unwanted council or government action or laws.
To "install" new democratic rights will need parliamentary legislation, a Democracy and Citizens' Political Rights Act or similar. For this we need a movement for effective reform – could a Charter for Democracy help to inform, educate and mobilise pressure on our MPs ?
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Campaign for direct democracy in Britain, "INIREF"
Citizens' Initiative and Referendum I&R ~ GB
http://www.iniref.org/ Link to site index
Contact: info@iniref.org
