Do we no longer live in a democracy?

Just reading about Lansleys connections to private healthacre companies. So who is he he going to listen too? The voters or the money?

So, are Labour the ones to have broken democracy as they also broke all these manifesto promises? Or is it only broken now it's the Tories doing it?

Lily,

Why would he be? He has plenty of money already, personally and via his wife. He has no need to pander to celebs or the rich.

Tony Blair went from one modest house in Islington to a portfolio of multi million pound properties, all bought with fees from consultancies based on his political career. Now Cherie is getting into private hospitals, again based on her relationship with NL power (hence using the name Blair and not booth).

Iraq war, dodgy dossier, formula 1 tobacco advertising etc

iaindale.blogspot.com/2010/04/labours-27-broken-manifesto-promises.html

The above is a list to 27 broken manifesto promises.

I don't think any of us entirely trust the political classes any more but I think that Cameron has more integrity in his little finger than Blair has in his whole body. Brown did have integrity but was a terrible leader for other reasons, such as being a bully.

How can we encourage democracy?

Engagement.

There's a reason that they've diverted money to keep up weekly bin collections. It's because that matters to people in an immediate way that grabs their attention. That is an issue that would motivate people to get involved. Unfortunately, politics generally doesn't. There are thousands of people who won't vote in their lives.

You can argue that it's because people feel that there is no party that represents their views or that the current voting system means their vote doesn't count leading to disengagement, but there are lots of people who just don't care about the macro. They only care about the things they feel directly effect their lives. They don't care about 'politics'.

Present the problem in a way that is accessible and preferably single issue and get it onto social networking sites. Link it to the personal - not cold stats and studies but 'If x happens y will happen to someone and that someone could be you, your child, your mother etc.

So why did everyone vote against AV then?! I know it wouldn't solve a lot of the problems - campaigning on one platform, doing something else altogether etc but it would make the votes more directly representative. It would for example, make the lib dem influence more strong and therefore perhaps weaken some of the nasty stuff. It perhaps would have made a Labour/Lib coalition a possibility etc etc..
People would be more directly able to shape policy.

YANBU

Re: the health bill there are various petitions on this site
submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions

What good it will do signing is anyones guess but better than doing nothing at all I would hope. As the OP says most people don't want the health reforms but the goverment are determined to plough on regardless and I think it is perhaps too late - their mind is made up and they are not listening................

Even the meeting today they have exluded groups such as BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners!

?If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.?

I would like to apologise to my fellow countrymen and women for voting for one of the parties in the coalition.

New Labour pledged never to raise the 40% tax rate.
To abolish foxhunting.
That every NHS patient would be seen within 18 weeks (I think).
Plus many many more, all broken.

At least Cameron is not in power to personally enrich himself and mix with the rich and famous, unlike Blair.

In a democracy you vote for the party based on a manifesto. Broken manifesto pledges are always worrying, but do seem to be a par for the course. Our real democratic deficit is where all the parties have the same line, despite it being unpopular within the electorate (EC treaties, for instance) and also where constitutional changes are brought in without a direct mandate from the people via a referendum. New Labour did a lot of these.

Agree that manifestos should be legally binding.

You are so right, OP.

The idea that we don't have democracy is rubbish.

Every person in the house of commons is democratically elected. The coalition, whether you personally voted for one of them or not, is made up of democratically elected men and women. If you think they lied to get into power, then that makes them liars and the voters suckers, but it doesn't make them any less democratically elected. The problem is with the person, not the system.

Fair enough, I think the worst place I lived was Bangladesh, or maybe Manilla. I don't really think it's the same though.

say

I thought the fact that scaryteacher wasn't concerned about losing her child benefit was very magnaminous of her .
I have said this before and I will say this again, modern democracies are not democractic, unless you happen to think that choosing a politicians tie colour is a good thing to vote on.
Proportional representation might go some way to addressing this but only some way.
Elections every four years is also unreasonable, as is being demonstrated by the conservatives and previously labour, a lot of damage can be caused in four years.
A true democracy would incoporate ways of holding politicians and parties accountable for their ideas with penalties imposeable when they did things not mentioned in their manifesto and also went against the will of the majority.
With modern technology their is no reason why more issues could not be put up for a general vote.

Have you been to any of the countries that are truly undemocratic? Do you know what it was like living under a dictator? No freedom of speech? Frightened for your life?
What a very silly, immature and ignorant thing to day. By all means slate the government, object to their policies whatever. But they WERE voted in.

Oh, it was meant to be the other way around?!

Would still count as fraud. Imagine if cigarette manufacturers accidentally put "Smoking improves your health" on their packets!