I think referenda are a bad idea because the press has too much sway and the public are never presented with the facts in an unbiased way free from political rhetoric. The fact that oligarchs control the media and promote party lines according to their whims means that I think politicans should have a significant amount of control. The other thing is that the vast majority of people would have no idea on the nuances of the European Constitution and how it would affect them - I have always believe we elect politicans to serve us on such matters. The problem is that, at present, the politicans are serving themselves.
I don't think you should vote on personality, but on policy. It should be irrelevant how well someone orates when it is the substance that should matter. When Brown took over the Labour Party and became PM then there should have been a new election but we all knew that was going to happen when Labour were voted in in 2005.
What irks me most is that the Government lied on Iraq and on tuition fears and little was done beyond a pointless protest in London yet when someone claims too much on a duck pond, the public are up in arms. There should be greater transparency in Government and less lying and sleaze but that's not going to happen as it's not in politicians' interests. The sad fact is that this has happened since the dawn of democracy in the UK (Robert Walpole was notorious) and only now is it being exposed due to greater media investigation.
How England Works is something I will try and read some time as it sounds interesting. I agree that in the UK, like in the EU, we need wholescale political reform but when the politicians are happy in the current situation because it is to their benefit, how likely is that going to happen?
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I don't think you should vote on personality, but on policy. It should be irrelevant how well someone orates when it is the substance that should matter. When Brown took over the Labour Party and became PM then there should have been a new election but we all knew that was going to happen when Labour were voted in in 2005.
What irks me most is that the Government lied on Iraq and on tuition fears and little was done beyond a pointless protest in London yet when someone claims too much on a duck pond, the public are up in arms. There should be greater transparency in Government and less lying and sleaze but that's not going to happen as it's not in politicians' interests. The sad fact is that this has happened since the dawn of democracy in the UK (Robert Walpole was notorious) and only now is it being exposed due to greater media investigation.
How England Works is something I will try and read some time as it sounds interesting. I agree that in the UK, like in the EU, we need wholescale political reform but when the politicians are happy in the current situation because it is to their benefit, how likely is that going to happen?