Politics – Page 4 – Philippe Legrain

Voters want a say

09/02/202624/09/2006

The British people want a say when the Labour Party changes its leader, and thus appoints the next prime minister. According to the Observer,

A new opinion poll reveals 56 per cent of the public want the chance to
have their say on the new leader of the Labour party, whoever it is,
within the first six months. Voters are not content to leave the
question of the next Prime Minister to the party and want him or her to
earn the right to govern. The GFK/NOP poll found huge support for a
genuine leadership battle rather than a coronation, with 81 per cent
supporting a contest.

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Britain meant to be a democracy? And doesn’t that mean that it ought to be up to voters who runs the country, and that nobody has an inherent right to rule? Not according to Gordon Brown. The Chancellor, we are told, has been waiting to be prime minister all his life; he was promised the top job by Tony Blair back in 1994; and it is high time the prince received his inheritance.

The voters, not the Labour Party, should choose Blair’s heir

09/02/202602/04/2006

Apart from the political commentariat, I think most people are sick and tired of the latest twists in the Blair vs Brown saga. The incessant feuding mainly serves to reinforce disillusion with politicians: however much they say that what really matters to them is improving our schools and hospitals or safeguarding our pensions, they appear to care most about their own prospects. So reform of the House of Lords or changes to the way political parties are funded are scarcely going to change the perception that politicians are only in it for themselves