Unless you are understandably inclined to take zero notice of UK and world politics in 2017, you will know that Brexit minister David Davis stated in parliament this autumn that his department had carried out sector by sector impact assessments of leaving the EU that he was then ordered to reveal to parliament by a set deadline. When he didn’t he was hauled before a select committee and questioned.
He then admitted that no such assessments existed!
This means that he unquestionably lied to parliament which, by the rules of the house, is an immediately impeachable and sackable offence (yes, MP’s lie all the time but they generally do so by omission or ambiguously enough to get away with it, whereas this is blatant!). And he lied about one of the biggest constitutional issues the UK has ever faced: leaving the EU.
In such circumstances, ‘Contempt of Parliament’ proceedings should be a given, not one possible outcome of a partisan vote. But the 18 person select committee he made the admission to, already loaded in the Tories favour with nine Tories and one DUP member, voted not to start that process. Because of this he has, for now, managed to swerve impeachment and keep his job.
Like a spoiled child protected from consequences.
Regardless of what you think about Brexit or which political party you favour, this is outright corruption and the antithesis of democracy. But it’s not an anomaly. This is the norm in the UK. And it will be the norm until the whole system is reformed.
At elections, just being able to choose the lesser of several evils is nowhere near good enough in a system where such blatant dishonesty and corruption is legal and common place. It MUST also be possible to formally reject all that is on offer and the system as a whole in a way that is legally binding and can affect the result if the majority choose to do so. Without this mechanism, it simply isn’t a true democracy. Not even close.
For this reason, with enough understanding and support for this reform, it will happen. Because to argue against it is to argue against democracy itself and no party or politician will want to be seen to be doing that.
Route one to true democracy begins with introduction of a formal and binding ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option on ballot papers. From there, all else is possible. Without it, nothing will change.
Follow the links below to find out more and get involved in the fight for true democracy:
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