05 Mar 2010
It is has been confirmed that the leaders of the three main political parties in Westminster will hold three debates during the course of the forthcoming election campaign. Each debate will have a number of themes and issues to deal with, including “Constitution; Trust in politics; Political reform”.
So if you find yourself in the audience of that debate, what question would you want to ask the three party leaders?
This entry was posted on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 9:28 am and is filed under Constitutional reform, Politicians, Republic & Campaigns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments are now closed.
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March 5th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Brown: Who gave you the mandate to even speak about English domestic legislation let alone head a government with responsibility for its implementation?
Cameron: When are you going to speak up for the people who will be the only ones who will get you into government… The English?
Clegg: Why does your answer to the English question mean the partition of my country into artificial “regions”?
March 5th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
As much as I’d want to tackle the three leaders on many, many issues (and this would not be my priority), I would have to push Cameron on this point:
“”Too many state actions, services and decisions are carried out by people who cannot be voted out by the public, by organisations that feel no pressure to answer for what happens – in a way that is completely unaccountable.”" David Cameron, 6 July 2009, BBC News site.
I would like to see him reconcile that statement with his support for the monarchy, FPTP and the House of Lords.
March 5th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
As a frustrated and despairing Conservative, there are numerous questions I would ask of Mr Cameron. But as a republican, I would ask him this:
“Ten years from now, would you rather be the prime minister of: 1) a flourishing democracy; or 2) a nation whose people are awakened from years of slumbering disenfranchisement by the detonation of a constitutional time bomb (which will also tear our own party asunder).”
I would be referring, of course, to the likely eventuality of Charles becoming an activist monarch. Cameron would obviously choose option 1, which would then prompt me to say, “In that case, I don’t even need to ask if you plan to allow full disclosure of all the hitherto-concealed information surrounding the monarchy, no-holds barred public and parliamentary debate on our constitutional future and, ultimately, referenda on sweeping constitutional reforms, including the question of whether Britain should become a republic.”
O, and Liam, well done on getting your letter on Royal FOI published in the Telegraph!
March 5th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
I would ask the following questions…
To Nick Clegg…
1) Is your party committed to maintaining the monarchy.
2) Do you consider yourself one of Her Majesty’s subjects?
3) If you are a supporter of the monarchy why do you allow Republicans to become Lib Dem MPs?
4) Do you think it is right to have Lib Dem MPs who openly violate their oaths?
5) What are you even doing here, you stand no chance of becoming the next British Prime Minister (thank goodness)
To David Cameron and Gordon Brown…
1) What will you do to defend and promote the British monarchy?
2) What will you do to ensure that children in British schools are learning about our system of constitutional monarchy and its benefits?
3) Will the monarchy feature in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics considering the 2012 is the Queens Diamond Jubilee?
4) What will you do to ensure that the Queens Diamond Jubilee is even greater than her Golden Jubilee?
5) Should God save the Queen be taught in ALL British schools so children learn about their national anthem?
6) In the final year of secondary school why shouldn’t children take an oath to Her Majesty and make a pledge to be loyal to this nation (as new British citizens must at citizenship ceremonies)?
7) Do you think this country would lose out by becoming a Republic.
Those are the question relating to the monarchy that come to mind.
March 5th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
My question to Gordon Brown: are you wasting x thousand pounds of taxpayers’ money every year to employ a secretive but totally useless spin doctor whose first name is Simon?! LMFAO!
March 5th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
lol Matt
This is my hobby, i earn no money for my work here sadly.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
I’d try to establish if Brown & Clegg would commit to a referendum on monarchy with Miliband’s proposal for a “reset referendum” on how we are governed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/10/mps-back-electoral-reform-referendum
I’d then ask “call me Dave” why he thinks the idea is a waste of time?
March 6th, 2010 at 11:50 am
I would ask Gordon Brown :
1). Why does his government put the interests of the royal family above those of the rest of us?
2). What are the ‘conventions’ talked about by Jack Straw in the debate in the Commons that are so sacrosanct?
3). If Jack Straw can see no instance where royal meddling would influence decisions on public policy, why the need for their correspondence exemption from FOI?
I would ask the other two why they are acquiescent in this attack on transparency, accountability and democracy.
If I could I would TELL all three that neither one of them fools me for an instant, and I can see through all their spin and mealy mouthed claptrap for what it is. Bull###t.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
On a potentially irrelevant point, I was watching Sky News this morning (simply cos the BBC had something really boring about the Oscars on) and three commentators were discussing the Leaders’ Debate. But it was all about style and clothing and other such things. I may be wrong but I can’t remember hearing any discussion about policies in the whole thing. As much as we may (rightly) whinge about politicians obsessing about their image, is it any wonder when the media are even more so obsessed? I felt like screaming at the television “I do not care whether Brown wears a red or blue tie!!!” It just goes to show how culpable the press and media are when it comes to the current state of politics. The difference is, though, that the media don’t have to make the difficult decisions on how to run the country
March 6th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Liam,
I hate to remain off topic but I could not agree more. At some point you would have undoubtedly heard the phrase “we live in a age where we demand 24 hour coverage” or something of that ilk. The very people who tell us we demand constant analysis are the very people who rely on us to believe this is true.
March 9th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
George Foulkes
“In 1993, he was forced to resign as Shadow Defence Minister after being convicted of being drunk and disorderly during in incident in which he struck a Police officer.”
What do you reckon little Saint Liam?
March 9th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Bruno
We have a policy against trolling. If you have an argument for the monarchy beyond “someone I don’t approve of supports Republic therefore I’ll support the monarch” then by all means propose it.
I have no doubt the list of pro-monarchists in this country will be fairly well represented by people many of us may have issues with.
March 9th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I was prepared to say something rude about Simon and his questions. But on reflection his questions might draw out useful answers that reveal the party leaders’ real views on the monarchy. I suspect that each of them would affirm their support for the institution, but you never know.
However, I have no doubt that any questions about the monarchy will be verboten in these debates.
March 9th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
What’s post #11 all about?
Re another potentially off-topic query, have we got any general election strategy drawn up? I’m thinking along the lines of something like getting parliamentary candidates to sign a democracy pledge, which – of course – would have to include a pledge to allow the British people to choose their own head of state. We can then have a list drawn up and publicised of who supports it and who doesn’t.