Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Oh mother, oh Ming !

Last week Ming Campbell called for a general election to allow the British public to choose the next Prime Minister. Both Liberal England ( Liberal England: Do we really need a general election?) and Hug a Hoodie thought this a bad move.

I have two problems with it, substantial and procedural. The substantial one is that we have a parliamentary democracy on to which Tony Blair has grafted a West Wing Presidential system, thereby depriving us of the checks and balances of Westminster and Washington. Calling for an election to determine the next Prime Minister just confirms the quasi-presidential model which we should reject.

Secondly, Ming said, "Today my colleagues and I have submitted a motion to trigger a general election." The only motion I know of that can do this is a motion of no confidence. I have searched the Parliament website in vain. There seems to be no record of such a motion. Nor is it an EDM. Nor an adjournment motion. What is this trigger that the mother of parliaments will be invited to pull and when ?

No comments: