One of the few modern politicians with principles, Tony Benn, champion of the powerless who had an abiding determination that power and the powerful should be held to account is no more. He believed that the UK is only superficially governed by MPs and the voters who elect them. He said that anyone in power should be asked five questions:- what power do you have? where did you get it? in whose interests do you exercise it? to whom are you accountable? and how can we get rid of you? I remember the chapter in his book two cheers for democracy -- the struggle is never complete so it cant be three cheers. His experience in government showed 1) how the Civil Service can frustrate the policies and decisions of popularly elected governments; 2) the centralised nature of the Labour Party allowing to the Leader to run the Party almost as if it were his personal kingdom; 3) the power of industrialists and bankers to get their way by use of the crudest form of economic pressure, even blackmail, against a Labour Government; and 4) the power of the media, which like the power of the medieval Church, ensures that events of the day are always presented from the point of the view of those who enjoy economic privilege. As regards the power of industrialists and bankers, Benn remarked: Compared to this, the pressure brought to bear in industrial disputes by the unions is minuscule. UK is only superficially governed by MPs and the voters who elect them. Parliamentary democracy is, in truth, little more than a means of securing a periodical change in the management team, which is then allowed to preside over a system that remains in essence intact. If the British people were ever to ask themselves what power they truly enjoyed under our political system they would be amazed to discover how little it is, and some new Chartist agitation might be born and might quickly gather momentum.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 10:27:13 +0000
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