With apologies – a very busy day means that I haven’t had time to digest today’s ‘Power Report’.
This list of main recommendations (lifted from The Independent) should, I hope, give you enough to talk about…
- A responsive electoral system for the House of Commons, House of Lords and local councils to replace the first-past-the-post system.
- The closed party list system to be replaced.
- The Electoral Commission to encouragewomen, ethnic minorities, people on lower incomes, young people and independents to stand.
- The voting and candidacy age should be reduced to 16.
- Automatic voter registration at age 16 to be introduced.
- Donations from individuals and organisations to parties to be capped.
- State funding for local activity by political parties.
- Text voting or e-mail voting only after other reforms.
- 70 per cent of the House of Lords should be elected by a ‘responsive electoral system’ for three parliamentary terms.
- Select committees should get enhanced powers.
- Limits on power of the whips.
- Parliament should be ableto initiate legislation, launch inquiries and act on petitions.
- A decentralisation of powers.
- Local government should be able to raise taxes and administer its own finances.
- Meetings of ministers with business, including lobbyists, to be listed every month.
- All public bodies to involve the public in their policy- making processes.
- Citizens to initiate legislative processes, public inquiries and hearings into public bodies.
- Rules on plurality of media ownership to be reformed.
- Public service broadcasters to involve viewers in matters of public importance.
- MPs to be required and resourced to produce annual reports and hold AGMs.
- A new independent National Statistical and Information Service to provide information free of political spin.
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