Dream Political Party

2006-07-03T02:22:00.000-07:00

Paul Lehmans

Background Basis

Politicians and their parties claimed for decades, that they listen to public concerns, yet however sincere and believable they appear; the evidence is that they completely ignore public demands, and preach their own agenda.

This and many other anomalies are possible under our imposed, first-past-the-post (FPP) form of democracy, which is regulated by a non elected politically appointed Boundary Commission, which in turn, regulates and controls parliamentary seat allotment, in preference to Proportional Representation (PR) entitlement. PR is a system that returns most popular candidates and political party to government, which in turn must meet its promises, fulfil public demands for change, or suffer rejection by the electorate at the following election.

FPP is very political party friendly and politicians are easily able to thwart modernising changes, clearly evident today, whereby the upper house, a body of heredity men and women and non elected political appointees, that the general public strongly oppose, which in truth, is an ugly scar on democracy, which foreign opinion finds amusing.

FPP naturally draws the main political parties towards a central position, all serving big business/suppliers interests, with a take it or leave it attitude towards the electorate. Also FPP and its Boundary Commission, ensure a clear winning result between the two main parties, who share out the third party’s PR seat entitlement, as demonstrated by past Liberal and present Lib Dem parties, who suffered far fewer seats and representation, compared to their PR entitlement. Disgruntled voters and other voter observers of this behaviour are understandable.

FPP allows a PM, near dictatorial powers, with gifts to award his or her backbenchers hundreds of promotional appointments, which in turn carry, increased salary, expenses and pensions that are most rewarding, thereby enabling a PM to rule by dictate, rather than voter appeal. Naturally this leads to clever spin to appease voters. Again unfortunately, this has led to all main parties to master spin and use this to win elections.

It is evidently clear those politicians, who master the art of duplicity, rise faster and higher in the ranks, whereby Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet Ministers are clever speakers and past masters in waffle. Ministers of past Tory governments and present New Labour government, appear identical in appearance, tone, manner, (sincere) using the same kind of statistic waffle

FPP political erosion over the past forty years has seen our manufacturing base, starved of British Inward Investment (BII) resulting in near disappearance of Made in Britain goods and a highly skilled workforce. This has resulted in grave loss of Balance of Trade and foreign currency earnings, notwithstanding massive rise in unemployment and more objectively massaged (high) underlying unemployment, if former Home Secretary Michael Howard is to be believed, who claimed in 1994 that14 Million of the workforce were on unemployment and welfare benefits.

The Howard affair, demonstrated one anomaly of FPP, whereby in 1994, addressing his party conference and proposed imposing; 14 million fraud prevention smart cards, for welfare claimants, which was received with wild applause from party delegates and nodding approval from applauding Cabinet colleagues.

This whole scenario, demonstrates the gross stupidity and grave naivety of our political parties, permitted under the protection of FPP system of democracy, which could never arise under a PR system, whereby a political party would openly criminal stigmatise and insult 14 million voters and their families, impervious to any voter backlash or fear of ejection by an electorate.

Under PR this and many other anti-democratic scenarios would never have arisen, where instead, the party in power would be devising policies to create a suitable foundation to expand our industrial base and a drive to create jobs, or suffer the dire political consequence.

It is notable that in opposition since, Michael Howard was elected Leader of his party, notwithstanding the fact that after Howard’s blunder, his party lost the following election by a landslide.

Even today, FPP allows an opposition party, to campaign for office, by proposing meaningless inspirational policies, to gain popularity and in truth allowed New Labour to be elected, whereby FPP courts waffle rather than hard voter beneficial policies that PR demands of politicians and their parties.

New Labour won the 97 election with inspirational policies, even claiming to retain Tory Spending Plans, which appeared to claim moderate increases on spending on our social infrastructure, whereas, in truth, these Tory plans were freezes and cuts on health, education, public transport and law and order, all services that were in dire need of investment following eighteen years of under investment.

Duplicity has short term gains but becomes unraveled as time passes by as demonstrated by public uproar about our near dilapidated social infrastructured and the typical knee-jerk reaction by politicians.

Politicians, on the rare occasions when challenged over FPP, resort to citing a Country (Italy) with PR that is the cause of repeated “political crises” while ignoring the great many other Countries who have PR and highly successful governments, with their possessing a higher standards of living and a far better social infrastructure, notwithstanding far greater disposal income.

Harping on about FPP reflects the urgent need to rid ourselves of the whole corrupted form of democracy, imposed by the then past establishment (their Lordships) and the dire need to adopt PR.

Admittedly voter apathy and social chaos must increase further before public demands the benefits that PR brings to our EU partners, whose social infrastructures’ (health, education, public transport, law and order) are far superior to ours, which PR demands of Politicians, while our politicians and their media support, over decades, claimed, we had the best health and education service in the world, a police force that was second to none, while ignoring public transport boasts

I fear FPP in one form or another will remain with us for some time.

During the seventies and eighties, politicians and their media, blamed our manufacturing demise on Trade Unions, which was only part of the truth. Our industrial base suffered an internal three prong attack, withdrawal of British Inward Investment (BII), inferior senior management, disastrous trade union conduct and one external attack, foreign competition, all for which, unions were blamed. This myth scars political and public thinking, which obstructs our recovery and is a difficult problem to solve.

One manufacturing industry that escaped lack of BII was our highly successful arms industry and its impressive exports, which ridicules politicians’ claims, that British workers are now unable to manufacture goods. Also when politicians and investors withdrew BII from our ship building industry, a less industrialised Country, Spain, rushed to fill the void and soon became a world leading ship builder.

Investment is the lifeblood of a manufacturing industry.

I believe that unless we urgently rebuild/restore our industrial base, a 60 million population country, with little or no exports, dwindling oil and gas supply, falling tourism, and an ever growing north/south-rich/poor divide, with a growing underlying unemployment, if welfare claimants are a guide. Notwithstanding that we have the highest child poverty in Western Europe and highest prison population, where without a massive reindustrialisation programme (RP), our society will continue to suffer the dire consequence of abandoning our industrial base.

One of the greatest concerns for the general public, is alarming growing crime rate, that despite political claims that crime is falling and police forces are increasing, fear of crime and in particular street crime, continues to grow. Today knives are carried by more people than we like to believe and gun crime has escalated.

Until positive measurers, designed to eradicate street crime are introduced, with the public witnessing the measurers and if satisfactory, fear of street crime will diminish. Continued political waffle, in place of hard costly policies, guarantees fear of crime will remain top of peoples concerns for more decades to come.

Perhaps less obvious but still harbouring a strong undercurrent of annoyance, is the growing public awareness, of extortionate prices and charges for goods and services in the UK. Internet shopping and EU stores opening here; find price comparisons astonishing and wonder how leading supermarkets and stores are able to charge two, three, or even fourfold the price these highly competitive stores charge.

People are starting to learn that EU and USA supermarkets operate on a 1.5% to 2.5% Profit on Turnover (PT) which is highly satisfactory to directors, shareholders, and customers, while our leading supermarkets operate on 8% to 10% PT.

The alarming growth of cartels and monopolies over the past three decades, with ever increasing direct and indirect taxes including rates, is the reason why the British suffer the lowest disposal income in the western industrial world.

This is another uneasiness that besets the Country, for which politicians and their parties are blamed. There is a growing demand for USA style, Anti Trust Laws, to combat cartels and monopolies and bring prices down to USA & EU levels. Many knowledgeable pundits believe that powerful cartels and monopolies are deeply entrenched in politics and even in power in senior positions in government, notwithstanding that these organisations are believed to be big contributors to political party funds.

Our financial services, when compared to Euro financial services, earn much higher profits and had we joined the Euro in 2000, with its much lower interest rates, people paying mortgages and business, paying back bank loans, would have made substantial savings, which subsequently would have meant a reduction in financial services monopoly type profiteering.

Perhaps this and many other supplier advantages would be reduced if we joined the Euro and why politicians and newspapers campaign vigorously against the Euro and constantly ridicule all thing EU.

Under FPP and our media censorship, Anti Trust Legislation debates will not even occur, let alone actual passing laws that rid this Country of cartels and monopolies.

In most people’s memories, government Ministers appearing on TV, in one or other domestic crises, always appear to defend supplier over consumer and it is therefore not surprising a mistrust of politicians continues to grow.

Another reason for the British to suffer low disposal income is the high direct and indirect taxes that support a government administration that is one of the largest in the world, even bigger than USA. Added to this tax burden, is the enormous defence costs and both these tax burdens are reduced we will continue to suffer the highest direct and indirect taxes in the Western industrial world.

The above summary is a long thought out analysis and something politicians fail to achieve or if they have prefer to ignore. My ideal political party seeks to tackle the identified problems and propose practical solutions, something that has been seriously lacking for generations.

This involves drastic changes, many of which will need to be phased in to lessen the impact.

Naturally there would be serious opposition as my proposals challenge established practises and the status quo.

My Dream Party

A party based upon a main platform policy, of a Reindustrialisation Programme (RP), whereby all of our remaining resources will be channelled into restoring our manufacturing base.

This involves revamping our outdated Bank of England, possibly renaming it, UK Industrial Bank (UKIB) which is given a board of industrialists and industrial financers and powers to restore British inward investment (BII), including laws to compel financial services to reinvest a percentage of profits back into localities and regions where profits are earned.

Incidentally this occurred in USA against fierce powerful opposition, when passed the financial services were shocked and pleased to discover their investments returned profits. The law was one of the principle reasons for rejuvenating local areas and kick starting a tottering economy. Again by the same token, after WW2, the West German Bundasbank was designed by Britain, geared to industrial development and proved high successful.

Naturally RP will require restoring our Technical Colleges that past and present governments have closed down and revamp our education towards training our youth for industry.

Tax and local authorities will offer incentives to attract investment, as the government moves from service economy friendly to RP friendly.

Until the RP ground work is phased in and BII and FII (Foreign Inward Investment) starts to flow when once the ground becomes fertile, industrial manufacturing will start to grow.

It is essential that RP is overseen by a powerful board of top industrialists, financiers, members of CBI and TUC including UKIB and a Minister of Industry.

While RP is the main platform of the Modern Party, there are other important programmes that need to be implemented and wrench UK politics out of the 19th century into the 21st.

Creation of a democratic PR form of democracy in the UK is in the future, where today, the issue is not debated by politicians or the press, who naturally prefer FPP which, for their interests, is far more rewarding.

Today British people pay the highest prices and charges for goods and services in the industrialised Western world, with suppliers freely obtaining phenomenal extortionate profits, without fear of reprisals or political oposition.

In some EU Countries and throughout USA, with fierce competition, Companies earn around 1.5% to 2% profit on turnover, with Directors and Shareholders delighted notwithstanding, Customers pleased to be recipients of fierce competitive prices and charges.

Here in the UK which allows cartel and monopoly type profiteering, Companies 8%, 9%, 10% and greater profit on turnover, many of whom, secretly donate funds to party coffers. Even some heads of cartels and monopolies have posts in high positions in government.

Perhaps that is why Anti Trust Laws (ATL) are not open for debate or extortionate profiteering debated.

In the USA and some EU Countries, competition laws, such as the USA style, Anti Trust Laws, effectively removed Cartels and Monopolies under the threat of punitive punishment that is strictly enforced.

I believe that Anti Trust Legislation is long over due and the only method available to remove cartels and monopolies. The argument that we do not need ATL or we have other methods of fair trading are dismissed out of hand.

Centralised government will be spread into ten or more elected regional authorities (RA) with powers transferred from Westminster, other than core vital Ministries retained by government.
RA’s will be responsible for health, education, attracting industry, local taxes and limited regulation of local authorities.

Under the grand scheme, civil servant will be employed by RA’s, subject to local pay and conditions and naturally massively reducing the need for a central government, to possess one of the largest administration in the world.

There are around 130 or more government Ministries that has cost the taxpayer dear over the past few generations and it is long overdue that 50% to 75% are phased out when compared to need and value for money.

It is well to compare the present day to when Whitehall administered to the needs of the largest Empire in history with a handful of Ministries, with the question arising why so many Ministries and their costly upkeeps are needed today, with loss of Empire, Brussels EU administration and labour saving computing technology.

It is known that politicians and Whitehall feed off each other, each serving the others cause and naturally expanding without control. More Ministries and Departments meant the greater number of lucrative jobs for politicians and their shadows. The never ending cycle that must be brought under control. Even PM’s are empowered with phenomenal gifts, to keep his or her backbenchers under dictatorial control.

Under a Modern Party, a PM’s office will be subject to the will of Parliament, with an elected lower and upper houses, when proportional representation (PR) is brought in.

The House of Lords will be replaced by an upper house, with half the elected MP's from the Commons, transferred to the upper house, which is more than sufficient for a Country our size.

Also all MP's will serve on a House Committee (HC) on a full time basis overseeing every aspect of our society, such as health, education, crime, public transport, supporting all charity organisations, checking up on old peoples homes, youth hostils, etc, etc, etc. All HC will receive adequate finance and assistance to undertake their tasks.

Reducing the Commons/Lords is long overdue.

to be continued . . . . .

Political Truth

Dream Political Party