Which of the following changes, if any, to the UK’s political system would make a positive difference for you?

Number 4 for me, immediately.

My OP asked which of the 6 suggestions you would choose. Yours was not one of them, Visgirl.

Is this, therefore, the "short suggestion you would send to the PM"? I must admit I don't think any of the current contenders would listen so I didn't bother with that but others might like to.

Visgir1

No one can become a MP unless they have done at least a term as a local Councillor.

I am saying. No one should be a MP unless they have done a stint as a local Councillor.
I was answering the original post.

Number 1 definitely. Not number 2 because I think that the HOL tries to keep the HOC in order when reviewing bills.

I agree with your 7th in theory but I think that MPs would be spending all their time electioneering and, if they think they may lose their seat they may just throw in the towel.

For me, first choice, number 1. And number 4.

Definitely not 3. As that could lead to a postcode lottery.

I remember when Gordon Brown was Prime Minister that at Questions to the Prime Minister, he was asked on several occasions a question about a contituent of an MP who had been refused some type of medicine by one of those bodies that have been now restructured, and he would say that these are local decisions made by local people. And that was it.

But, at the risk of going off-topic, may I add a 7th question please, something I consider would be of far greater benefit to people, particuarly people in big problems over housing and the like.

This is that when Parliament is dissolved for a General Election, there are no MPs for at least four weeks, sometimes more. As far as I can tell, this dates back to over four hundred years ago when Parliament only convened when the Sovereign wanted it convened.

I consider it would be better if a "Member of Parliament" were considered to be a Corporation Sole, like a Bishop is a Corporation Sole. that is, if something belongs to the Bishop of Somewhere, it does not belong to the person holding the office at the time.

So if the office holder changes at an election then the documents and case load would get handed over.

But the bigger part of my suggestion is that instead of Parliament being dissolved some weeks before the General Election, it should go into "Recess for a General Election" and then be dissolved at 11:59 pm on the day before the election. That way people would still have an MP to turn to for help.

The problem is that under the present system, if someone is being supported by an MP over something serious, like risk of losing housing or being wrongly treated by the benefit system, and a General Election is called, then the person is not an MP and is regarded as if a member of the public, so loses the power to get access to a Minister. It might be "Oh oh oh tradition et cetera but it is useless if a constituent is in a big problem and the person who was an MP no longer has that status and influence to help them even if the person who was an MP is very supportive.

I would like to know what people thibk of that idea please.

1 & 5 for me

I think numbers 2 and 5 , but I agree that it’s difficult to decide.

MaizieD

Casdon

volver

Visgir1

No one can become a MP unless they have done at least a term as a local Councillor.

I'm not sure that's true....

You’re right volver, you don’t. This made me laugh, I looked it up and there’s a ‘how to become an MP* on the government careers website. All you really need is enough people to believe you can do it and vote for you.
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/mp

I read it as visgirl making a suggestion for improving the quality of MPs in the future; not stating what doesn't happens now.

Oops, sorry Visgirl, I misunderstood.

without a doubt, number 1

I'd go for 1, as most people have and am pondering over 3 and 4.

It was Thatcher who centralised so much of local authority functions and really took decision making away from the people who knew best what their local community needed. Historically local authorities have been responsible for improvements in infrastructure and services and more directly accountable to their electors. I think that's a good thing.

OTOH the conduct of MPs and PMs needs radical reform...

Casdon

volver

Visgir1

No one can become a MP unless they have done at least a term as a local Councillor.

I'm not sure that's true....

You’re right volver, you don’t. This made me laugh, I looked it up and there’s a ‘how to become an MP* on the government careers website. All you really need is enough people to believe you can do it and vote for you.
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/mp

I read it as visgirl making a suggestion for improving the quality of MPs in the future; not stating what doesn't happens now.

1 and 5.
If I had to choose just one, it would be 5.

I just despair..

volver

Visgir1

No one can become a MP unless they have done at least a term as a local Councillor.

I'm not sure that's true....

You’re right volver, you don’t. This made me laugh, I looked it up and there’s a ‘how to become an MP* on the government careers website. All you really need is enough people to believe you can do it and vote for you.
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/mp

Visgir1

No one can become a MP unless they have done at least a term as a local Councillor.

I'm not sure that's true....

No one can become a MP unless they have done at least a term as a local Councillor.

Number one.
Reservations about number three as
a) so many things need to be done nationally, not by a post code lottery
b) unless local authorities are given more funding they will be limited in what they can do.

Numbers 4 and 5 for me please DaisyAnn

Ailidh

Probably all of the above.

I was having a similar ish conversation at lunch: apparently (I'm nobbut a newbie) our local M.P. is very highly thought of as someone with genuine concern for local people. Come the GE, he sounds like someone I could cheerfully vote for.
Unfortunately, he's a Tory, and I could not cheerfully vote for that party to be back in power. I'm perfectly sure it works with other parties too.

I know too little about political structures and processes to know what system would allow for the voting for local MPs Not automatically leading to their party being in overall charge of the country.

I also begin to think that Prime Ministers might be better elected as an independent process, and for it not just to be the leader of the winning party.

Listening to one of Rory Stewart’s podcasts he pointed out that there’s no point in checking out a Conservative MP’s voting record to see what they’re really like because Conservatives have to follow the party line regardless of how it might affect people. I found that quite interesting, especially since Tom Tugendhat is now openly supporting Truss and I thought he was a decent person. Going back to the OP I think we need all 5 although the HOL’s has been holding the government to account over the past few years. The sad thing is most things were working quite well until the Conservatives won the election12 years ago and started to ignore the things that enabled an unwritten constitution work.

1 and 4 for me.

I would also like to see the Expenses Code revisited and revised so that the Gravy Train (which I'm sure attracts too many otherwise unsuitable people to enter politics) ceases to exist.

Thus we would be represented by conviction politicians not chancers and wide boys/girls.

As for devolving more power to local authorities, ours does not convince me that this would be a good move.

(DaisyAnne I don't think you havered - swithered maybe smile)

You are very kind volver, but in my head, I was twittering like an elderly lady in a costume drama and going from one to the other and back again. Swithering would have been much more direct, I feel.

I would choose PR a written constitution
And Abolish the monarchy as monarchy is there for politicians and Royals not for the people. An Elected Head of State a proper democracy not backward Britain

Probably all of the above.

I was having a similar ish conversation at lunch: apparently (I'm nobbut a newbie) our local M.P. is very highly thought of as someone with genuine concern for local people. Come the GE, he sounds like someone I could cheerfully vote for.
Unfortunately, he's a Tory, and I could not cheerfully vote for that party to be back in power. I'm perfectly sure it works with other parties too.

I know too little about political structures and processes to know what system would allow for the voting for local MPs Not automatically leading to their party being in overall charge of the country.

I also begin to think that Prime Ministers might be better elected as an independent process, and for it not just to be the leader of the winning party.

1 & 3 for me. The present system doesn't work for the majority of people.

1 is first my choice.

I'd like all of the rest and I'm finding it hard to choose just one more