Curate, connect, and discover
A perennial subject that comes up every now and again but never seems to be resolved. Call it a venerable institution, or the most expensive daycare centre for the elderly on the planet, it's time has passed and we know it. But what do you replace it with? Some politicians cal for an assembly elected by proportional representation and this at least would inject some democracy. However it would be dominated by the same political parties as in the Commons, so would draw from the same pool of individuals that now fight for selection as MP candidates. Parliament would see this as an unnecessary distraction, and the public as just another vote on how well the govornment is doing. So what's tinpig's plan I hear you ask: A grand jury. 500 random members of the electorate, selected by a lottery, expected to serve for a five year term. Unlike a court jury, it would be voluntary and any selected individual could leave at anytime. To put themselves forward for this body only requires that the individual is on the electoral register, votes at elections, and is able to attend parliament on a regular basis. The pay would be exactly the same as an MP's. The benefits are that it would be the most effective way of making it truly representative, free from party political bias and narrow elitism. The assembly's responsibilities would be the same as those of the current House of Lords i.e. oversight of the govornment, tabling ammendments to bills with the one statuary role to decide how much the salary of MP's, ministers and other parliament officials. It would remain as subordinate to the Commons, except in the case of going to war, where a 2/3 majority could overule the govornment. But wait I hear you cry "It would be half full of idiots". That hasn't stopped the The House of Commons passing laws with a resonable level of legitamcy. The advantage is that on any issue the assembly will likely have members with more specialist knowlege than either the Lords or Commons now posseses. And it would be their responsibility to convince the less informed members in debates. Today we see the Commons as a body run by a political elite, divoced from the lives of everyday people. Let the electorate give back some legitamcy to the "Mother of Parliaments" and show the world that an assembly of informed citizens can help shape the destiny of a country. As the Westminster parliament is about to have £6bn spent on them, we have a truly historic opportunity to try out this form of representation. Suspend the Lords for 10 years. if it doesn't work we can always recall the piers, and in the interim old age should cull their numbers to a more acceptable number. Let's borrow the best of Athenian democracy and reinvent it for a modern age. Citizens we are smarter, better informed and much better looking than our "wise forefathers" so what is there to loose?