The premise of Unlock Democracy is simple: far too much power is locked up in the hands of far too few people. The public, in turn, has become alienated, disengaged and cynical about politics. This is no longer sustainable.
The UK’s political system remains firmly rooted in the middle ages and while we no longer have an absolute monarchy, our government has inherited a large amount of unaccountable power from the kings and queens of old. The UK government has unprecedented powers over signing international treaties, declaring war, patronage to both quangos and the House of Lords and picking the date of elections for when it suits them.
These powers are augmented by an electoral system which was introduced in an era of two party politics when a substantial proportion of the populace was illiterate. This system guarantees governments majorities in the House of Commons even if they fail to win the majority vote (at the 2005 general election, the Labour government won 55% of the seats in the Commons with just 36% of the vote). This system forces political parties to concentrate their time and resources on courting swing voters in the most marginal of constituencies, while ignoring the rest of us. Our party politics is steeped in confrontation and division rather than consensus and cooperation. Nearly 4 people in 10 don’t vote in any election; most people feel it doesn’t make any difference whether they do or not.
The UK is one of the most centralised countries in the western world and while devolution has improved matters for Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh to some extent in recent years, the process of decentralisation remains incomplete. In most of England, local autonomy has continued to decline.
We have made some progress over the past two decades. The Human Rights Act and the Freedom of Information Act now constrain the government and other public bodies. However, neither of these pieces of legislation are as strong as they could be and we still lack a culture of valuing human rights and openness within government and even the wider public. They are under constant attack and under our current system could be repealed at any time.
Radical change is needed to connect people and politics. Throughout the UK’s history, it has been an innovator of constitutional reform, from the Magna Carta through to the Glorious Revolution. Unlock Democracy exists to revive the UK’s passion for democracy and to ensure that change happens.
What’s so important about democracy?
From the classical Athenians and the medieval Sienese through to modern day philosophers such as Karl Popper, democracy has long been seen as a vital guarantor of freedom, justice, prosperity and security. Undemocratic societies find it difficult to adapt to changing circumstances and are undermined by a populace which feels it does not have a stake. Democratic societies by contrast are generally happier and wealthier.
Politics will exist whatever form of government we use: those who don’t “do” politics have politics done to them. What we need is a fairer, more inclusive form of politics.
What would you do?
To achieve our goals, Unlock Democracy specifically campaigns for:
- Fair, Open and Honest Elections
- Rights, Freedoms and a Written Constitution
- Stronger Parliament and Accountable Government
- Bringing Power Closer to the People
- A Culture of Informed Political Interest and Responsibility
