UK Bill of Rights

[agricola]

I wonder if it would be a good idea to have a duty for the police to 'serve and protect' the population. In fact maybe that is what they felt they were doing in the recent raid?

There is already quite a bit of legislation and caselaw that requires the Police (and other emergency services) to do something in the event of certain things happening.

As for "randoms" in the Lords, it is a good idea in theory but I have a very hard time believing that any Government would resist the temptation to tinker with it, and in any case the Lords is not the chamber that needs reform - as recent activity shows.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I like the idea of the Lords being replaced with a version akin to jury service. All members chosen via the same method to serve a Parliamentary year in it....

 

[TremulousTetra]

I would make democracy part of the constitution.

Democracy: Anyone with the position of power, especially over the means of production, should be elected, accountable to those who have elected him/her, and can be recalled/sacked by those who have elected him/her.

Reason: can you name of form of society where those who have controlled the means of production, have done so in the interests of society as a whole?

In my opinion, democracy, real democracy not the fig leaf that covers the class rule of today, is the next CHOICE in societal evolution. Whether we will make that choice, is up to all the people like you, me, and those in between.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Yeah I certainly like the idea that employees should have the right to fire their bosses/elected supervisor should the need arise.

 

[TomPaine]

I like the idea of the Lords being replaced with a version akin to jury service. All members chosen via the same method to serve a Parliamentary year in it....

If the Lords was made up of the best doctors/scientists/lawyers in the land chosen randomly from a pool and non party aligned, I wonder whether a lot of really crap legislation would get stopped. These people have earned their credentials through service to their respective arts/sciences rather then people like "Lord Mandleson" of Slimeycuntwick who buy their way into power or get bunged a place in the Lords for their service to a political party.

Having had people like Arthur C Clarke, Patrick Moore, David Bellamy, Richard Attenborough, Tim Bernes-Lee etc. sounds like a better run of affairs IMO.

 

[Fullyplumped]

Having had people like Arthur C Clarke, Patrick Moore, David Bellamy, Richard Attenborough, Tim Bernes-Lee etc. sounds like a better run of affairs IMO.

All elderly white men, I see!

 

[agricola]

If the Lords was made up of the best doctors/scientists/lawyers in the land chosen randomly from a pool and non party aligned, I wonder whether a lot of really crap legislation would get stopped. These people have earned their credentials through service to their respective arts/sciences rather then people like "Lord Mandleson" of Slimeycuntwick who buy their way into power or get bunged a place in the Lords for their service to a political party.

Having had people like Arthur C Clarke, Patrick Moore, David Bellamy, Richard Attenborough, Tim Bernes-Lee etc. sounds like a better run of affairs IMO.

It is, and indeed the somewhat large minority of Lords who actually do know what they are on about on various issues is why a lot of legislation is either opposed or is radically improved when it goes to that House.

 

[Gmart]

If the Lords was made up of the best doctors/scientists/lawyers in the land chosen randomly from a pool and non party aligned...

It would have to be from a pool of everyone randomly.

Of course the recent actions of the Lords show that they are a good check on the 'constitution' that we have - however it could be improved with representatives of the religious community (divided strictly by the census) currently with a christian bias, and with some people from a system of PR while maintaining the first past the post system in the commons.

However the key thing is to start the debate as to what form of progressive constitution we could develop. I like the tendency towards election for positions of power, I would also like to see some freedoms which we hold dear enshrined such as the freedom to associate, and the freedom of speech. Certain limits on the gathering of personal information should also be part of the debate.

 

[TomPaine]

All elderly white men, I see!

Arthur C Clarke is dead I believe. Anyway so what if they are white, that wasn't my reason for picking them, they where the first bunch that came to mind. They have all made great contributions to science, that is what should matter!

 

[kyser_soze]

Um, we already have one from Europe which would supercede any that came out of Parliament anyway, unless we un-signed it anyway.

 

[kyser_soze]

Arthur C Clarke, Patrick Moore, David Bellamy, Richard Attenborough, Tim Bernes-Lee

An alleged paedo, a racist, a climate change denying scientist who uses batty sources, can't think of anything bad about him...oh wait, directed Charlie Chaplin, wanted to rate the stupidity of the internet.

Yup, fine bunch there!

 

[TomPaine]

An alleged paedo

Didn't realise that meant he was actually guilty though? I was thinking more for his work on geostationary communications satellites.

As for Moore never read anything about him being a racist however I am aware he was anti-Hunt and was anti-War, can I see some sources regarding the racisim thing?

I've not read Bellamy's views on climate change? As for Tim Bernes-Lee, wow you scraped the bottom of the barrel on that one...

 

[kyser_soze]

Whoops, sorry He's just a misogynist

Ah no, I was right he's a racist too

I spent time defending TBL and his idea for 'idiot ratings' on websites, not the idea (which is a load of toss quite frankly) but more understanding where he was coming from.

And that's why I wrote 'alleged'.

As for bellamy, search 'david ballamy' and climate change denial, there's loads of stuff on him.

 

[butchersapron]

Morre has been involved in racist and extreme right groups for most of his life - he's a classic old school racial imperialist.

 

[TomPaine]

As for bellamy, search 'david ballamy' and climate change denial, there's loads of stuff on him.

That's odd, I'm just reading the wiki article about how he changed his view 180 from his original stance on the Greenhouse effect.

 

[Gmart]

It would be interesting to tie the number of spoiled ballots to the election of randoms to the House, thus acting as a check on government to ensure they are doing the will of the people.

In Ghana there was recently a relatively large vote for spoiled papers (see here), the official 3rd party....