Wednesday, 25th November 2009

For a long time, it has been clear that there is a major discrepancy between the will of the people and the views of our elected politicians, writes UKIP General Secretary Jonathan Arnott,

On matters of national importance, the public often genuinely have no say whatsoever in their own future – even at a General Election.

Whether it is war in Iraq and Afghanistan (decided by our elected politicians during the term of a Parliament) or key moral issues (such as euthanasia, capital punishment or animal rights), a large chunk of the decisions taken by our Parliament in Westminster have no mandate from the British people. 

UKIP are known for holding elected MPs to account over their broken pledges of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty; now we must stand for allowing the British people a  basic say on important matters which concern them.

Only by allowing the public to force a binding referendum on any issue that matters to them (through a set number of registered voters petitioning to demand one) can we ensure that Parliament becomes truly accountable.

The usual argument against this ‘Direct Democracy’ is to denigrate the intelligence of the British people, arguing that the public do not ‘fully understand’ the issues involved and that kneejerk legislation is inevitable.

Rubbish! The Dangerous Dogs Act and the handgun ban prove that Parliament is itself quite capable of such a kneejerk reaction; the time taken to hold a proper, balanced referendum campaign would in fact be the perfect antidote. Nor are MPs experts in every field.

Another argument often raised is the cost, yet this is not an issue in Switzerland or most US states.  Referenda could be held at the same time as Council elections, giving the public more incentive to vote and increasing turnout. The extra cost would be tiny but the benefit to the principle of democracy would be priceless.

If UKIP is a party of democracy when we oppose the European Union and its anti-democratic nature, then we must also be a party of democracy in our domestic affairs.

Parliament should now exist to take emergency executive decisions, represent their constituents, and to deal with the day-to-day legislation required for running the country. 

Centuries ago, democracy had to be representative for a reason.  When it took days to travel from one end of the country to another, a referendum could not exist. But there is no point in trying to justify such an outdated system in a modern society.

It is surely time for the UKIP to drag UK democracy kicking and screaming into the 21st Century!

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