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SPQR1776 analyses the state of representative democracy in the UK today
New Cabinet
The full list of the people at the top table in British government
New Week, new look.
T HE WE EK
Issue 12
Sunday 08.11.15
Welsh Assembly bill fails after debate over ‘principle’ or ‘action’ DELB_ and RachelChamberlain
Athanaton elected Speaker of the House of Commons by wide margin RachelChamberlain
After the resignation of RoryTime as Speaker of the House of Commons, another person had to take the coveted position.
Many well respected members of the house put there names in the ring, Djenial, the former deputy speaker and runner up last time was widely tipped to becoming the Speaker this time. However, athanaton, former Labour prime minister and Lord Speaker gained confidence from many across the house for his reforming agenda.
Another candidate, HaveADream, chose to stand on an agenda of taking a stand against bullying, and abusive behaviour. Having been victim to such behaviour a few weeks prior.
Athanaton was elected with 60% of the vote, with Djenial coming second, and HaveADream third.
Other candidates included, former education secretary, theyeatthepoo. And ieaun, who made his decision to stand whist tired and emotional, but instead of rowing back from his position produces a manifesto full of adapted New Labour slogans and others.
Athanaton also pledged in his victory speech to end “the climate of hostility, of harassment, of denigration”, however has submitted plans which will means in Skype chats where much of the hostility takes place, that any chats other than the main chat will be unmoderated.
These plans are detail in MHOCmeta a new subreddit, which the new Speaker promised to create in his manifesto in order for there to be more transparency and discussion between the community and the moderators, something which he felt was
lacking in the previous Speakership’s tenures.
The new Speaker also announced his Deputy Speakership team which passed a vote of confidence, with 76% in favour. Some criticised the vote for not being on a individual basis, but the Speaker countered this by saying that “no DS will ever be making a decision that is particularly important, and none at all that can't be easily reviewed and if necessary reversed by myself, their by far primary roles are administrative and advisory. I don't therefore believe the community should be particularly concerned about who DSs are to be quite honest, and after a month of Deputies being villified and targeted, I was in no rush to facilitate that again with individual popularity referenda. The final, by far most important reason, is that the team is painstakingly crafted to have a breadth of aspects, opinions and skills covered, and a careful
balance maintained. To remove any one can make the whole team insufficient.”
The Deputy Speakers include Bnzss as Chairman of Ways and Means, with his deputies being SPQR1776 and Djenial.
Chrispytoast123 was appointed as International Ambassador to help involvement with the various part of the Model World.
And NoPyroNoParty has been made Clerk of the House in order to join in Speakership discussions.
The new Speaker seems to be very popular, whether that popularity will continue throughout his time in office, remains to be seen but after the short and tumultuous reign of Rory, MHoC asked for stability and for now that looks like what athanaton is able to confidently deliver.
Alexwagbo’s unsuccessful attempt at getting the “B180 – Welsh Assembly Bill” was a bold and thoughtful action for getting devolution for Wales and for creating a “Welsh Assembly.” There were many criticisms raised against the bill, Spudgunn of the “Vanguard” party had said that it was a threat to “Britain’s national unity” and posed a risk to breaking up the United Kingdom. Others, such as Djenial of Labour, felt that instead of having an assembly it would be more important to devolve powers to local government.
Many arguments can be made inregards to whether this bill is a good or a bad. The Secretary of State for Wales, DELB_ thinks that devolution is a good thing and raises the possibility of Wales being more prosperous in the long term as more powers are handed down from Westminster. Other notable supporters of the bill include the Prime Minister, can_triforce which supports devolution for all of the home nations within the United Kingdom.
Ultimately many people saw the vote as matter of voting with the principle; that of having a Welsh Assembly, or voting on the content of the bill. This would have meant that the Welsh Assembly would not conduct elections and instead use the results of the previous general election. Many people criticised this part of the bill for being undemocratic and a Plaid Cyrmu echo chamber, but Alexwagbo defended it by saying that it would mean less work on the part of the moderation team.
The final result was a dismal 13 ayes to 81 noes. It seems for now the case for a Welsh Assembly is closed.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
Tory Leadership
Tories in the thick of a long deputy leadership race InfernoPlato After TheQuipton’s ascension to leader, the Conservative Party is now looking for a new Deputy Leader. Previously, TheQuipton swept away the competition in the previous Deputy Leadership Election with his strong manifesto, friendly disposition, and his policy of more openness with the party.
In a matter of hours after the leadership was won, Deputy Leadership applications opened. Obviously prepared, four candidates quickly posted their manifestos for the party to scrutinise whilst waiting for the debates.
Analysis
Meet the candidates Mepzie
Mepzie, the current Shadow First Secretary of State and former Shadow Leader of the Lords, posted his manifesto first and nearly instantaneously. Having previously come to many people's attention after PMing people and asking whether or not they would be standing for the election, Mepzie quickly gathered several endorsements in succession - trident46, cptp28, mcr3527, chrispytoast123, UnderwoodF, Jamie_Maclauchlan and also IntellectualPolitics.
DrCaeser MD
Eliminated in the 1st round
Striking a more moderate tone, the Shadow Local Government and Communities Secretary announced his candidacy for the deputy leadership next. Beginning with praising all the work the current and past leadership has done, DrCaeserMD expressed his approval - citing the friendships he has made in the party.
More somberly, DrCaeserMD pulled no punches whilst saying that ‘I will not lie, this next term may be tough, there is a lot of work to do if we are win
Standing on a strong right wing manifesto, the candidate denounced the ‘toxic ideals of the left,’ and called on the party to ‘fight against the decriminalisation of drugs, fight against the secularisation of our state, fight against the removal of our nuclear deterrent and most importantly, fight against the erosion of our Great Britain.’
someone who can negotiate, someone who is liked by members on all sides of the house, and someone who can actually get things done. I believe I am the only candidate who can do this.’
Jas1066
Eliminated in the 1st round
Jas1066 presented his manifesto with a OneDrive document. The newly promoted Shadow Home Secretary has campaigned on a manifesto of increasing autonomy for Shadow Secretary of State’s whilst also promising to strengthen the internal committees, giving them more power.
Moving on, Mepzie swiftly announced that he wished to see a stronger legislation programme for the party, with the Conservatives legislating to promote conservative values.
‘Our party needs a Deputy Leader who can do this,
the next election, but with the will of the party I feel that we can go forward and achieve more than we ever have before.’
However, he rallied around the members of the party declaring that ‘this leadership election should not be just about the candidates. It should be about you, the party members, the MPs and ministers and the future you want. It is your choice, not mine, as to decide which path we should follow. Should you give me a mandate, I wish to still help govern the party with the leader and party chairman. To hold discussions with our members and find out what matters most to you and them.’
Initially criticised for a ‘weak and substance-less manifesto’, DrCaeserMD has proved to be an up and coming member. He
has gained compliments for his manifesto, but has also made his stance on issues known. Commenting and debating, the candidate successfully dealt with questions from all three candidates, and possibly even came off better.
‘I will not lie, this next term may be tough, there is a lot of work to do if we are win the next election, but with the will of the party I feel that we can go forward and achieve more than we ever have before.’
Inferno Plato
The Shadow Foreign Secretary meanwhile has stood on a platform based on his previous experiences on the subreddit. ‘I have gained crucial skills and have accumulated quite a lot of positions. I’ve become an Achievement Lord, I’ve become a Deputy Speaker, I’ve become a press editor, I’ve become a wiki editor, and, I hope, I’ve become a good friend to you and represented us in MHOC as the decent party of the committed, hardworking, and decent people we all know we are.
Also appealing to a rightwing audience, Jas1066 made clear his eurosceptic stance along with his socially conservative views. ‘The three most important things in everyone’s life, I believe, should be their family, their nation and their religion.’
in things, but it would be much easier and more efficient for department leaders to do as they please, within reason.’
‘Ultimately, I want to bring about greater autonomousity for ministerial departments. It is not possible for everyone to become the leader of the Party, but everyone should be able to lead a department at some point. Of course, the leadership should get the ultimate say Moving against criticisms that he and TheQuipton are similar, has said that ‘A deputy leader must support a leader, but a deputy leader must also be willing to stand up to a leader if they believe that the direction of the party is going the wrong way. In our former leaders resignation speech, he said that I was never one to hide my thoughts and that although I may disagree with the leadership at times, I was always constructive. As your deputy leader, I would continue that.’
In his manifesto, he also detailed plans to bring more discussion to the sub, whilst also abolishing the internal policy committees set up by himself. ‘They are inactive, difficult to access,
and aren't useful at all. I propose to scrap the committees (which /u/ RoryTime has now made it his mission to spy on) and bring all legislation to /r/ MHOCConservatives.’
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
Tory Leadership
Report
on the Deputy Leadership debate The first proper question and the only audience question then came from /u/Cptp28. He asked "A question for all candidates, what are their views on a party constitution?" This was met with a pretty united response - with all candidates agreeing that one was not necessary.
/u/InfernoPlato said that "we've never needed one!" and / u/Mepzie stated "We want our party to be as efficient as possible and I feel that this will be limited by the introduction of a party constitution".
I then followed up by asking "Do you believe that the leadership should take more executive decisions? Do you think there are some situations where the leadership should no longer consult the party on certain issues?"
/u/Mepzie answered first this time, saying that "I feel as though the amount of executive decisions the leadership exercises at the moment is about right. On most big issues the membership of the party is consulted and this is something I would like to continue. It would be far too time consuming to always have a vote on smaller issues and therefore I think the leadership should be able to make their own decisions on small things that won't have too much of an affect on the party."
/u/InfernoPlato said the opposite, "I don't believe the leadership should take more executive decisions without consultation of the party. My manifesto is based on the fact I want more openness with the party. That means forcing the leadership to pay more attention to the members and to respect these views. Why should the leadership take more executive decisions?"
/u/DrCaeserMDwas more on the fence, stating "What if we one day end up with an “Echo Chamber Leadership”? The leadership firmly believe one thing, whereas everybody else believes another. We risk fictionalising the party. I feel it is important that we are transparent. Yet, there are times the leadership should make decisions without consultation, such as coalition talks perhaps, or when time constraints are involved. I feel at this time we are striking roughly the right balance, yet there is always room for improvement."
/u/Jas1066 was the firmest of all the candidates in his answer - "I am very much in support of the leadership keeping executive power. I think that the idea of a leader leading more than representing is a key idea behind the right wing ideology."
We then came to the next part of the debate, each candidate - one at a time - was asked to face one question from their fellow candidates. These were intended to be short rounds initially but as the debate was quite good they ended up taking up the remaining ninety minutes of the debate. The first candidate under the spotlight was /u/DrCaeserMD.
/u/Jas1066 (My primary concern about you as a candidate is your lack of experience. Can you point to a few examples of where you have achieved something on MHOC?) and /u/ Mepzie (You are fairly new to the MHoC Tories. Do you feel that you lack the party knowledge needed to become Deputy Leader?) focuses on his relative youth in the party compared to them, whilst /u/InfernoPlato (Where do you stand differently to other candidates?) grilled him on how he was actually different from the other candidates.
/u/DrCaeserMD fought back, saying "I shouldn’t be underestimated in what I have contributed so far. For example, It was I that developed the Local Gov section of the manifesto. I was also there developing policies in the Economic committee. At this time I have three pieces of legislation under way and I have already submitted one piece to the Opposition Sub." and in terms the allegations that he wasn't different from the other candidates - he answered "I feel that I want more openness in the party than anybody else. Stability through transparency if you will. I want the members to become far more involved through committees and policy forums. I want more decisions to be made by the party as a whole, it’s no good having the leadership putting just their opinions forward and disrespecting the membership."
This drew seeming disappointment from /u/InfernoPlato, leading him to query "Surely if people wanted that, they
should vote for me?". The pair then segued further into this, with /u/DrCaeserMD labeling his opponent as a "hypocrite" for promising more activity but threatening to abolish the committees. This was responded to by /u/ InfernoPlato defending himself, stating "Centralising means more discussion".
The next round gave the candidates a chance to ask /u/ Jas1066 a question each. /u/Mepzie began by claiming that / u/Jas1066 has many "enemies in the right" and then queried "do you feel that you will ever actually be able to achieve a Right Wing Coalition in spite of this?"
/u/Jas1066 responded by saying that "The right's leader's views on me change from day to day" before adding "I think Albrecht once even said he would be willing to work with me". This response was not satisfactory for /u/Mepzie it seemed, as he scathed back "Albrecht has told me specifically that he dislikes you and would not like you to be Deputy Leader of the party". /u/Jas1066 chose not to counter this point, but did counter the accusations that /u/ Mepzie said that Jas would not be able to get "a good deal" from the Vanguard in coalition negotiations.
Meanwhile, /u/DrCaeserMD and /u/InfernoPlato decided to focus on /u/Jas1066's proposal to bring further executive power to Secretaries of State and the leadership - with /u/ DrCaeserMD asking "Do you therefore believe that members have less to offer to the party?" and /u/ InfernoPlato warning that /u/Jas1066's plans could lead to "a split party".
/u/Jas1066 responded by saying "I will come straight out and say that 5 minutes with a secretary should be more productive that 5 minuet (sp) with the average member. However, if time is available, then I am sure that any shadow secretary of state would be more than willing to at least consider any ideas suggested to them". /u/ DrCaeserMD saw this as confirmation that /u/Jas1066 felt "that the average member has less to offer". /u/Jas1066 took the surprising move to agree with this assessment, stating "Yes. I don't see why the likes of the late Jamman should be forced into listening to a 5 day debate, when he quite clearly already knows his stuff".
That ended that round, meaning that the candidates now had the opportunity to ask /u/InfernoPlato a question each. /u/Mepzie (As someone who is almost identical to TheQuipton politically, do you feel that we need a leadership that represents all members of the party and not just those closest to the centre?) and /u/DrCaeserMD (How do you believe you can avoid creating an echo chamber in the leadership, considering you “bow to the whims” of our leader all too much?) both asked similar questions whilst / u/Jas1066 focused on /u/InfernoPlato's controversy (or lack thereof).
/u/InfernoPlato stated that his most controversial moment was "supporting olmyster in his first leadership election through helping him debate in the UKIP sub".
/u/InfernoPlato chose to address /u/Mepzie's and /u/ DrCaeserMD's questions simultaneously by saying "I don't see why there is some sort of fixation with my political views quite honestly. I support the party manifesto, as you should do. I maybe close the TheQuipton politically, and I may agree with TheQuipton on a lot of things but it won't be an echo chamber at all. My manifesto is all about party involvement in order to stop this echo chamber and me "bowing to the the whims" (whatever that means) of Tyler. You can see this through my policies of reviewing RL policy, taking more MHOC affairs to the members etc".
/u/DrCaeserMD then responded, saying "What is the use of having a deputy leader that constantly agrees with the leader. There is no scrutiny, there is no questioning of whether something is right for the party as a whole. I won't lie, I agree with Tyler on certain items as well, but it is important that the party has diversity so that it can better represent everybody, not just the leadership" with /u/ Mepzie also adding "If elected Deputy, you and Tyler would be deciding things from the perspective of a more centrist Conservative. The views of the rest of the party will therefore be lost and this will lead to a very unrepresentative leadership".
/u/InfernoPlato then fought back strongly, saying "You have no evidence to prove that me as DL will result in a weaker leadership, and it's kinda silly to suggest such a thing with so many strong members in our party" and adding "Hmm, okay, when have you ever criticised Tyler again? I have told you, and you have seen me disagree with him on multiple occasion regarding manifesto stuff, deals, and also party suggestions. Our leadership will be enhanced with the party providing even more diversity".
/u/Mepzie then followed up on his earlier comments, saying "Decisions often are made without the consultation of the rest of the party. The recent OO negotiation for example. I feel that with you and Tyler as DL and Leader many members of the party will be isolated by your decisions. The reason we have had good consultation in the past is because the DL and Leader have always been different ideologically. This is not the case now".
However this was denied by /u/InfernoPlato - with him saying "Excuse me? We had Charlie (cptp28) PMing the Brit Libs and Rory, we had somebody in contact with the Van, I was in contact with UKIP. We all worked together and before the agreement got underway Tom consulted the party and asked what they were looking for. Everything was reported back to Skype. We was all involved, and would continue to be all involved". /u/InfernoPlato then closed off this round by saying "This idea of ignoring Skype and our Whips are laughable. Collin will still be a right wing whip and Underwood will continue being a right wing whip. We consider views already on Skype and I have often raised concerns about a whip. That would continue to happen."
At this point I left the debate and /u/Cptp28 took over the questioning for the final round - where each candidate had the opportunity to ask /u/Mepzie a question. /u/ DrCaeserMD asked "You say Tyler is on the left and that you are on the right of the party. What are you doing for those in the center?". /u/InfernoPlato chose to list off things in / u/Mepzie's manifesto that /u/InfernoPlato had claimed had already been done or was being done by him - even accusing his campaign of "almost hinging on just being right wing". /u/Jas1066 asked "Would you immediately push for a second deputy party leader, or would you wait for a report to be compiled?".
/u/Mepzie responded to /u/DrCaeserMD by saying "As leader Tyler will certainly fight for the views of this wing of the party. As Deputy I will fight for the rest of the party, maybe those slightly to the right of Tyler but not properly right wing, as well as those on the right. I plan on representing those on the right by always fighting for true conservative ideals and ensure that the party isn't becoming too Liberal."
/u/InfernoPlato argued that this was "stuff which you can do as an ordinary member" before adding "no offence, but we can never become liberal if our members are opposed to it. If you really wanted to ensure the safety for the party from liberalism, you should have gone for leader, rather than deputy".
Defending his plans to introduce a second deputy leader, he said "having a second DL would ensure that the leadership contest is always a tough competition. We should steer away from the current system we have which allows coronations and should look for a more democratic way to elect the leader". /u/Jas1066 labeled /u/Mepzie's plans to vote to introduce a second deputy leader as "democracy for the sake of democracy".
Meanwhile, after /u/Mepzie said that one of his plans was "allowing members to vote on whether a bill or motion becomes party policy", /u/InfernoPlato accused him of hypocrisy - pointing out "What happened to "the leadership should set the whip because it's diverse and should know". This is hardly a problem at the moment and why bother with votes when we can have discussion and debate as is detailed in my proposals?". That ended the debate.
The candidates were then asked to give closing statements.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
The Government Coalition Agreement Summary
DELB_
A new government means a new coalition, and a new coalition means a new agreement. The parties working in the coalition agreement are “Labour,” the “Liberal Democrats,” the “Greens,” the “Pirates” and the independent candidate RoryTime.
qualifications based on age will also be removed and “zero hours contracts” will be looked into in-order to replace it with a more “fairer” and “progressive” system.
Economic
The transport agreement aims to keep the railways nationalised in-order to have low prices on fairs and to improve the quality of the services. Passengers will then also have the opportunity to become members of “Network Rail” to elect representatives to a council inorder for their views to be listened to. The coalition is also dedicated in-terms of modernising the railways; the coalition will electrify many railway lines across the UK and aims to simplify the current “fare system” that the country has. People on lower incomes will also be helped by the government subsidising their fares. Nationalisation policies will also be devolved and will be handed down to local authorities.
The economic agreement within the coalition will take an “anti-austerity” stance and seeks to implement “Universal Basic Income” as well as increasing “carbon tax,” reducing “corporation tax,” to create a “British Investment Bank,” and to re-nationalise some services including the “Royal Mail” amongst many other policies that have been agreed upon.
Foreign
The foreign agreement within the coalition has agreed to push for a new EU deal and to make the EU give a fairer distribution of the migrants from the current “Migrant Crisis.” The coalition also pledges to support a two-state system for Israel/Palestine and “foreign aid” will be set to 1%.
Defence
The defence agreement aims to support a 2% target for defence spending which will have been set by NATO inorder to protect the United Kingdom. The defence agreement also aims to scrap trident through multilateral policies to make the world a safer place. The Ministry of Defence also aims to work with EU member states inorder to combat the threat of Russia and ISIS.
Energy and Climate
The energy & climate change agreement aims to not support subsidies for nuclear power in anyway and will instead invest hugely into renewable energy. The coalition also aims to disestablish coal, gas and oil and will split the energy companies to increase competition. The coalition also aims to dismantle monopolies of energy companies.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The environment, food & rural affairs agreement involves the phasing out of “non-biodegradable plastic bags and packaging.” The coalition also intends to phase out “factory farming” and the coalition intends to add CCTV in slaughterhouses and minimising live transport of animals. The agreement also intends to expand reserve and marine zones, as well as expanding the wilderness zones hugely and also bringing back native species. Bees shall also be preserved and grey water will be promoted for use in farming.
Work and Pensions
The work & pensions agreement intends to do a variety of things, including: the assessment of “sickness benefits” by the government and doctors, a “back to work” bonus to encourage people to get back into work, abolishing the “bedroom tax” as well as a number of different things. Pensions shall be increased in-line with inflation,
Transport
A new commission will also be set up to increase the “London & South East” airport capacity. The commission will impose greatest stress on environmental concerns and emphasis on public transport.
Harmful emissions will also be cracked down upon and greenhouses gases are aimed to be reduced. More lowemission zones shall also be introduced.
Health
The health agreement also aims to improve upon the work of the “Mental Health Act 2015” to ensure that for example, mental health counsellors are available in schools. NHS Funding shall also be linked with population growth. 8,000 more GPs, 20,000 more nurses and 3,000 more midwives shall also be placed into the NHS. Keeping healthy and healthy eating will also be encouraged, a health food subsidy shall also be increased as well as restricting advertisements on unhealthy food and drink for children. Adult Social Care will also be put under the NHS.
Security Fund” will also be made to increase government spending efficiency. 14 day detention shall also be abolished and the “terrorism act” shall also be reviewed. Strike action will also be protected and strengthened.
Justice
The justice agreement aims to make the “Freedom of Information” act more effective by making as much information as possible to be released. Secretive courtrooms shall also be minimised and the public will now be able to request information discussed within secretive courtrooms to be released. The prison system shall also be reformed by investing in rehabilitation. 14day-detention without trial will also end this term.
Business
The business, industries and skills agreement will make sure that everyone receives the national minimum – this also includes apprentices. Zero hours contracts shall also be reintroduced under a set of circumstances where the employee wants a zero hours contract. A “British Investment Bank” shall also be introduced as well as restricting fast-selling trading and the selling of equities.
Communities and Local Government
The communities & local government agreement will end the “Right to Buy” scheme and will instead build 500,000 affordable homes. Powers on education and environment shall also be devolved and a new “brownfield site redevelopment scheme” shall also be introduced. Surplus council money shall also be going towards building houses and a loan scheme will be introduced for first time buyers.
Equalities
The equalities agreement intends to end discrimination in workplaces and on the streets. Minorities will be protected and acceptance and tolerance shall be promoted.
Education
Culture, Media and Sport
The education agreement aims to introduce a “free school meals” program for all students. The coalition also aims to replace the “Exam Reform Act” and aims to replace it with a smarter bill. PSHA will be made to teach students about politics, gender, sexuality, race and mental health amongst other things. Teachers shall also be given the freedom to use their own teaching methods. School counsellors shall also be funded for students to get the help they need for their mental health through their education.
The culture, media & sport agreement intends to support libraries and museums. Content shall be digitised for learning. e-Books shall be removed from VAT. e-Sports shall also receive help and support from the government with funding allocated accordingly. The coalition shall also encourage the promotion of rugby in schools and the country.
Home
The home agreement aims to introduce a “Digital Bill of Rights” to prevent surveillance. Police Crime Commissioners shall also be scrapped, Great Britain and Northern Ireland shall be federalised including overseas territories – powers shall also be devolved to the new states. Government meetings should also be available to the public via the “Freedom of Information” act, a “Single
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
Government
The cabinet lineup RachelChamberlain and NoPyroNoParty
can_triforce
Prime minister
After a stunning election for the Labour party, winning the majority of votes, and gaining 22 seats in the house of Commons. And forming the ‘rainbow coalition’ formed of the aforementioned party along with the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the Pirate Party, it was inevitable that can_triforce would become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service to give him his full titles.
The new prime minister has had a long and illustrious political career, starting out as communities and local government secretary in the first government. A has been a competent secretary in what is described in politics as ‘the graveyard position’ in the Home Department. Now will he take the reigns of power just as well?
Bnzss
Chancellor of the exchequer and deputy prime minister
The Lib Dem leader has taken control of Treasury and aims to keep his role of deputy prime minister strictly ceremonial, after publicly decrying the position
figgor
Home secretary
One of the three Pirate leaders gets one of the great offices of state, taking over the prime minister’s former role.
bobbybarf
Defence secretary
The former Labour lord, now MP has accepted a downgraded position from foreign secretary to defence.
akc8
Education secretary
Akc8 keeps the education brief that he held in the previous government.
HaveADream
Health secretary
After a brief stint as shadow health secretary in the previous opposition, HaveADream can put into action his plans for mental health and the NHS.
djenial
Communities and local government secretary and chief whip
Djenial after a successful performance in the previous government keeps both positions he held.
RachelChamberlain
First secretary of state and minister for women
She is the PM's right hand woman not just in the Labour Party but now also in government, and retains the women minister brief from the previous government.
Cocktorpedo
Foreign secretary
Cocktorpedo changes roles from one high profile role (defence) to another, gaining the Green party a great office of state, making it one of piece for each coalition party.
purpleslug
Justice secretary
Former shadow energy and climate change secretary in the previous term takes over the MoJ from Cocktorpedo.
JellyTom
Work and pensions secretary
The liberal democrat takes over from AlbertDock after being shadow work and pensions secretary in the previous opposition.
AmberArmy
Energy and climate change secretary
The former Climate Change MoS sees a ministerial promotion after his selection as a National MP, swapping places with NoPyroNoParty following his departure.
ElliottC99
Transport secretary
The newly elected Labour MP takes the transport brief, after Peter199 defects to the Vanguard.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
Government
The cabinet lineup
irule04
Environment secretary
AlmightyWibble
International development secretary
The new Principal Speaker of the Green Party takes a role that will naturally have importance to their party.
Wibble was widely tipped to become chancellor but gains a post at DFID as his first cabinet position instead.
Ajubbajub
Business secretary
Formerly shadow business secretary gets to implement his plan and also has the role of Deputy Lord Speaker.
ContrabannedtheMC
England secretary
The England Secretary keeps his post following his reelection as a National MP and a successful term as the Greens' whip.
Tomtom_988
Scotland secretary
RomanCatholic
Culture secretary
The previous leader of many parties, the most recent of which being the Pirates gets the CMS remit as well as the controversial minister for eSports under him.
DELB_
Wales secretary
The former Wales MP lost his seat at the most recent election but was quickly elected as a national MP and gains his first cabinet position.
IndigoRolo
Northern Ireland secretary
Seen as a controversial appointment as the secretary was not elected as a Scottish MP but instead is a peer, however Tom is a committed Scottish member.
The only Northern Ireland MP, elected as an Alliance member, in the government gains this post.
ExplosiveHorse
Equalities secretary
jothamvw
Leader of the House of Commons
Former shadow equalities secretary last term, he now gains a handful of some argued useless ministers.
AlbertDock
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Dock retains his position as Leader of the House of Lords but gives up the work and pensions brief due to personal reasons.
RoryTime
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The independent member of government gains a largely ceremonial post in order to be able to attend cabinet.
The previous deputy chief whip in the shadow cabinet now takes charge of conducting the government’s business in the House.
MorganC1
Chief secretary to the Treasury
Although Wibble was tipped for the treasury, other pirate and former Socialist gets to work under Bnzss instead.
JackToner
Attorney general
A Northern Irish labourite, he will be gaining his first cabinet position as attorney general.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
Opposition
The shadow cabinet lineup RachelChamberlain, InfernoPlato and mcr3527
TheQuipton
Leader of the opposition
After ascending to the Conservative Party leadership from Deputy leader, TheQuipton is leading Her Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition against a government with size on its side. With the Conservative party having decided to not coalition with the Vanguard or UKIP, they joined up with independent British Libertarian leader CrazyOC in an attempt to make a Conservative only (with CrazyOC leading his own business) Shadow Cabinet.
TheQuipton had previously served as Shadow Foreign Secretary, indicating a particular interest in the government’s foreign affairs. With trident often on the firing line on MHOC, as well as the crisis of IS, can we expect to see him using these to lambast the government in an attempt to propel his party to power?
TBA
Shadow chancellor of the exchequer
After the resignation of Jamman35, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer has not yet been announced and won’t be announced until after the Deputy Leadership election. It’s speculated Mepzie will be taking the role as Shadow Chancellor after his failed application.
Jas1066
Shadow home secretary
Promoted from SDEFRA, he will be known throughout the House for controversial comments during his time here. Having led the Education Commission, as well as leading the Endeavour, he will have a wealth of leadership to back him up in his new role
IntellectualPolitics
Shadow defence and Wales secretary
Having written comprehensive defence bill and and a detailed Wales manifesto, he has had Defence added to his list of responsibilities
Vogon101
Shadow education secretary
UnderwoodF
Deputy leader of the opposition and opposition chief whip
Also Opposition Chief Whip, this senior right wing MP has been filling in the Deputy Leader of the Opposition position whilst the Deputy Leadership race is underway
InfernoPlato
Shadow foreign secretary
Has moved from his previous Shadow home portfolio to foreign, signifying a departure from both his time as whip in the party and his domestic agenda.
trident46
Shadow justice secretary and opposition Lords chief whip
Known for his stance on the death penalty and his tough stance on justice, he has been promoted from Lords Whip (which he still retains)
cptp28
Shadow work and pensions secretary
A relatively unknown figure, he produced the Computer Science Education Bill last term.
A friend of CrazyOC and newly promoted, cptp28 will be assisting in representing Opposition welfare positions and scrutinising the government.
Jamie_Maclauchlan
Shadow health secretary
bigpaddycool
Energy and climate change secretary
Come from a Health background, Jamie_Maclauchan is expected to add his expertise to the Oppositions repertoire.
The Tories well known SNP defector, BigPaddyCool has succeeded Jamman35 and is expected to have a tough act to follow.
DrCaeserMD
Shadow communities and local government secretary
Having held the position since RoryTime resigned, DrCaeserMD retained his position.
JazDisney
Shadow transport secretary
Knowledgable on transport and having held the brief since last term, he will retain his position both in the Shadow cabinet and the Lords
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
News
Opposition
The shadow cabinet lineup
treebuckets
Shadow environment secretary
Newly promoted and facing a tough act to follow after Jas1066, treebuckets will be scrutinising Environmental affairs
Crazyoc
Shadow business secretary
British Libertarian leader, the indy MP will have control of his department and is expected to use his position to promote the British Libertarians on a wider scale
AdamMc66
Shadow England secretary
Retains his position in the shadow cabinet and will be responsible for scrutinising government England policy.
Ieya404
Shadow Scotland secretary
Known for his wide breadth of knowledge, Ieya404 will again be present in the Shadow cabinet.
mcr3527
Shadow equalities secretary
After delivering an Equalities speech at the Conservative Party Conference, mcr3527 was promoted to the Equalities position.
cltaltlama
Shadow international development secretary
Promoted after only a few days, he was the only applicant for the position. It will be his first time holding a Shadow Cabinet position on MHOC.
Pallas_
Shadow culture secretary
Pallas known eurosceptic and a right wing conservative, Pallas will retain his position in the shadow cabinet.
Mepzie
Shadow ďŹ rst secretary of state
Having unsuccessfully gone for Chancellor, Mepzie was given SFSoS. Having previously been Leader of the House of Lords, he will have had experience scrutinising the government.
John_locke1689
Shadow Northern Ireland secretary
An ever steady MP and Lord in the Conservatives, he shall continue to be once again challenging the Northern Ireland secretary after previously being NI Secretary.
TheDesertFox929
Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury
Former Labour deputy leader and chancellor his move to the right has been typified by his support for free market economics.
Crispytoast123
Shadow leader of the House of Lords
McDonkey1
Shadow attorney general
A prominent member in many model parliaments and democracies, this member will be an active and important representative of the Opposition in the Lords.
A first year law student, he will be taking over from wuttinn. Whilst not an MP nor Lord, he shall be assisting in scrutinising the government
Pandanub
Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
After being appointed Chairman of the Conservatives, Padanub wanted to lift the weight of his former defence position off his shoulders. He was thus appointed to this minor role.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
The Weekly Profile
An interview with RachelChamberlain
First Secretary of State, Minister for Women and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Ideologically, what would you describe yourself as?
There’s a certain unease with calling oneself a ‘Blairite’, one feels a need to add the caveats such as ‘but not the Iraq War’ for instance, but that would be a good enough descriptor. I certainly try to be pragmatic rather than rigidly ideological. I do believe in a sense of community, and the state should help people in need, provide a generous but prudent welfare state, and have a country of economic prosperity and equality of opportunity.
Many politicians have been influenced by those who have come before them, which politician, past or present, are you most inspired by?
Tony Benn. He directly influenced my dad, being his MP, which I guess indirectly influenced my interest in politics, so I have to thank him for that. But also on a fundamental level I admire Benn because of his passion and resoluteness, in the face of brutal opposition for his cause of trying to build a better world, it’s something which inspires and motivates me a lot.
On average, a female manager works for free 57 days a year compared to a male manager. How will you combat gender wage inequality?
I do agree that gender wage gap figures should be published, a lot of gender inequality can I believe be solved simply through collective education.
In your opinion as a Government minister, what is the biggest problem facing the UK in 2015?
If I could answer this question rather very broadly, I’d like to say that Britain has lost a sense of itself. Churchill at the victory day celebration of the 8 May gave the rally cry “Advance Britannia”. Over the last 70 years we have seen the decline and destruction of our Empire. We’ve seen in the last few years the rise of Scottish nationalism as a dominant political force, and we have industry and a lack of innovation that means we cannot compete in a globalised economy. I think we need an ‘Advanced Britannia’ that able to compete whether technologically or economically in the modern age.
You are one of the most well-respected members of /r/MHOC, what is your proudest achievement in /r/MHOC?
Thank you for the praise. I think the thing that I most proud of is writing the manipulated images bill. I’m proud of my design work that I’ve done for MHoC, but, as sad as this will probably make my sound, I do rather enjoy doing it. Whereas actually writing from scratch something that keeps MHoC’s wheels turning so to speak was tiring and difficult but extremely rewarding. And as MHoC is so male dominated that I think it’s important for (mainly) a women’s issues to be addressed and I glad that the first and certainly not the last of my bills in that area passed after what felt like forever in limbo as a result of the bureaucracy and inefficiency mainly with the Communist Party.
At the recent General Election there was a rise in support for the Labour Party,
how has /r/MHOC Labour been affected by Corbymania?
Obviously Corbymania benefitted us greatly in the election, but right now I’m not really sure that in the party there is any more of a difference in policy, and indeed our party chose to form a government with and is vastly more supportive of the Liberal Democrats rather than the Radical Socialist Party. One of the things that I admire so much about our party is that we are a broadchurch that is almost all of the time very civil to each other, we work together to resolve our differences, so I don’t think that we’ve had an influx of radical left wing thinking, if anything many of us have been ‘Corbynistas’ before it was cool.
Many members of the community heavily tip you to become the next leader of the Labour Party, how would you like to respond to those claims?
Ultimately while I’m humbled that many people hold me in such a high regard. Right now I don’t believe that I would be the best person to lead the Labour Party. Firstly I believe that can_triforce has done and is continuing to do an exemplary job as the leader, such that I don’t believe I could match his undoubted calibre. And whether the party will need a leader who is to the right of her party, I don’t know, I guess it’s all down to what Harold Macmillan said “events, dear boy, events”.
The Tories elected a ‘one-nation Conservative’ as leader last week, this week it looks like they will elect a rightwing Conservative as Deputy Leader. Should the Tories shift to the left or the right?
I’d like to congratulate Tyler (TheQuipton) on his promotion to leader of the Conservative Party. I think the similarity in our views will help our parties work even better together. Having said that, the Labour Party has been in power since March this year, the left wing dominates the political scene. If the right wing wants to win power, it needs to capture the right wholeheartedly, be the confident, credible, alternative as opposed to UKIP or the Vanguard.
ElliottC99 interviews RachelChamberlain
Tony Benn unveils a bust of himself at Bristol Council House, College Green in 2005 .
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
Opinion
The state of representative democracy in the United Kingdom
SPQR1776
R
epresentative democracy is a system of governance which provides a very simple and elegant solution to the apparent flaws with direct democracy. Since it would be simply too chaotic and impossible to effectively govern with everyone participating, in a representative system we have the public elect individuals to represent their views. It has an ancient history dating back two and a half millennium, to the Roman Republic. We saw the rise of this system in the post-industrial period, and now in the present more people live in representative democracies than any other system of governance in the world.
Each nation under the representative model has its own specific way of representing the public’s views. In this country under the old system candidates stood in constituencies and were elected under the First Past the Post system. Candidates could have their own views, perhaps different than the manifestos published by the party. For example one candidate might be a eurosceptic in a europhilic party. The seats in parliament belonged to the individual, rather than the party. However for the past few general elections we have an entirely different system where the seat belongs to the party and MPs are elected under a proportional system. Parties put up lists of candidates and constituents vote for the party, not the individual. This has created some very concerning questions about what it means as an MP to properly represent the public. Do MPs act as individuals selected by their constituents or do they act as arms of the party they were elected through? Different parties have decided differently on this question.
The Communist Party’s method were perhaps the most famous. They held internal polling for all party members and whatever view gains a majority in the poll all party members were required to take. There are several issues with this method. First on issues which split the party, the vote will eliminate the minority opinion altogether,
creating a tyranny of the majority. Second the polls only include party members. This is clearly unacceptable as the Members of Parliament are supposed to be representing their constituents even the ones who didn’t vote for them. For example in the real House of Commons, the Labour party supports the expansion of Heathrow Airport, however the MP whose constituency Heathrow lies in, John McDonnell is both a Labour MP and is against the expansion. If the Labour party used the Communist system then McDonnell and his constituents would both lose out in the internal vote, and be forced to vote aye. His constituents wouldn’t have a voice within the party, unless they were party members and people living outside that constituency would be having a say in how they are represented. Then when it came time to vote McDonnell would be forced to vote against what his constituents want. So the people of Hayes and Harlington would not only having how they are represented affected by those living outside the constituency, but also having their voice made null. This is obviously a serious issue. From the Communist perspective the constituency doesn’t matter at all, all that matters is the party’s opinion.
On the reverse of this is the Green party. The Green party does not whip on anything, it’s “MP Coordinator” only offers suggestions on how to vote. The individuals are then left to decide how they want to vote anyway they want. This also poses a very serious problem. Since now ballots are cast for parties not individuals, constituents are left to the mercy of the individual. They can never know what views an MP might hold. Certainly the fact that parties exist alleviates this to some extent, one would assume that a constituency which votes Labour endorses some sort of social democratic ideology, but this does not fix the problem. Parties have become increasingly broad: the Communists range from anarchist to stalinist, while the Tories from liberals to staunch social conservatives. Since MPs can be changed and switched out at will by the party, which constituents have no say in, this can seriously alter how the public is represented. Party manifestos are
supposed to solve this problem, but not everything can be put in a manifesto, and election promises can and are broken by certain MPs.
Going against a manifesto promise is a very egregious choice. When an MP is elected to represent their constituents they need to follow through on what they were elected on. We have seen with the Nuclear Weapons Restriction act two MPs directly go against their party's election manifesto, Omnysia and FangChamp, having abstained when their party’s manifesto promised abolishing nuclear weapons. Both these MPs should be ashamed of what they have done, they have lied to their constituents and falsified their intentions.
What about legislation which only affects certain regions, such as the recent bill extending same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland. Should an MP from London really be able to have input in that, or conversely should an MP from Northern Ireland be able to vote on education bills which only apply to England? I would have to say no. It is vital that we sort out this constitutional mess which is occurring right now. There are various proposals for devolution in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions of England floating about right now, but surely it can be done in a more simple and organised manner.
Some serious thought needs to go into what it truly means to represent the public. Does party come before constituents? How can we justify the arbitrary switching of MPs? Are voters actually getting what they voted for? What are we really voting for when we cast our ballots on election day? A serious discussion must be held about this topic which is often ignored. I do not blame MPs for focusing on legislating and actual governance, however questions of what it truly means to represent the public and what the public wants really must be pushed forward in importance or else I fear we may continue to simply ignore the topic.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
Opinion
The Troubles shouldn’t be forgotten
Irelandball
I
n recent days controversy has constantly surrounded the Sinn Féin party over the
continued existence of the Provisional IRA.
As usual the Sinn Féin leadership was quick to deny that the PIRA still existed, or that any of the leadership are directly involved with paramilitaries.
Gerry Adams said in a recent quotation, “In July 2005 the IRA left the stage. Its leadership ordered an end to the armed campaign; its representatives to ‘engage with the IICD to complete the process to verifiably put its arms beyond use’ and instructed its volunteers to take part only in ‘purely political and democratic programmes’ and no ‘other activities whatsoever”. Whereas others such as unionists, especially DUP and UUP members may argue that this is the same overtly repetitive argument that is overused by Sinn Féin, the IRA have truly left the stage. The IRA decommissioned its weapons, according to an independent report by the IICD, essentially rendering the Army Council unable to organise attacks or bombings of any kind. It is inevitable that former members would still commit crimes and participate in other organized crime activity, but it is not the responsibility of the Army Council that individuals committed crimes on their own behalf.
Recently Sinn Féin has been plagued with countless accusations of the Provisional IRA still existing. This of course has been over saturated with the false and baseless claims that the Sinn Féin leadership is still directly in tandem with the IRA Army Council. What we have been seeing lately are false and blatantly forged claims against Sinn Féin just to discredit them, while parties such as the DUP and UUP feed off of Sinn Féin’s negative press. With the recent controversial murder of ex-IRA member Kevin McGuigan, the same repeated question was finally answered: Do paramilitary organisations still exist in Northern Ireland? British Secretary of State Theresa Villiers set out to find the answer to this, and set up an
“independent” committee to look into the possibility of an existing PIRA. The “Independent” committee included former political figures from within the UK, and none from the Republic of Ireland. The main United Kingdom parties, with Labour to a certain extent, are widely biased against the idea of a United Ireland. If this commission were to be truly “Independent”, then An Garda Síochána, along with the PSNI, would be invited to participate, and the key heads of the panel would have to be non-sectarian, and not affiliated with a party at all. The findings were disclosed by Villiers to Parliament on October 20th, with the existence of the Provisional IRA confirmed, and revealed to be participating in Sinn Féin electoral activities. This sparked numerous controversies and outrage towards Sinn Féin, who have previously claimed “The IRA have left the stage.”
However, the reported that the Ulster Volunteer Force, among other Loyalists paramilitaries, was still around as well. This was completely ignored by mass media, and the attention was almost entirely on Sinn Féin, with the media accusing Sinn Féin of a coverup. Parties like the DUP and UUP hypocritically lambasted Sinn Féin about the lack of concise information on the existence of the PIRA. Whereas it is admissible that Sinn Féin in part were not truthful, members of Sinn Féin leadership are not currently involved with the PIRA, as that organisation feels that Sinn Féin sold them out for the Peace Process. In addition, the DUP and UUP parties have been reluctant to admit their past affiliations with the Loyalist paramilitaries, namely the UVF. In fact Peter Robinson, pictured above, who is currently the First Minister of Northern Ireland, was one of the members of the Ulster Resistance, a terrorist group that worked directly with the UVF. In an interview Mr. Robinson gave, he claimed that the UDA, the most dangerous and active Loyalist paramilitary (Which may I add still operates today) is not a terrorist group whatsoever. Sinn Féin at leasts admits that the Provisional IRA was indeed a terrorist group, and even admit their past links with it, with some members such as Martin McGuinness openly admitting their membership. The
amount of ignorance and hypocrisy in the Media is clearly evident in the fact that the UVF and other Loyalist groups go by unnoticed and without controversy by the public. The IRA, arguably, was a direct byproduct of the original UVF. General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, the British General who directed the executions of the 1916 Uprising leaders, had once said that without the UVF, there would be no IRA. The Troubles shouldn’t be forgotten, not just because of the impact they have on today’s society, but for the general hypocrisy and bigotry by mainstream media and loyalist groups.
Irelandball is the leader and founder of Mhoc’s Sinn Féin, as well as the party’s Financial & Foreign Affairs Spokesperson. He was the former leader of Mhoir Sinn Féin, and briefly led the Clann na Poblachta party to defeat in the GE. Irelandball is also the sole Independent elected representative in ModelUSGov, where he is the leader of Friends of Sinn Féin .
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
Opinion
Moderates of the world unite!
TheDesertFox929 When it comes to policy, pragmatism rather than ideology is key argues TheDesertFox929
T
oday's political landscape is full of those who espouse radical principles.
On the left, the right and in every country around the globe, parties and ideologies that were once considered irrelevant are now gaining considerable traction and large numbers of supporters. While this is largely due to the massive challenges we have faced in the last several years and the perceived failure of moderates to fix them, it is still very worrisome that so many people would be willing to support those who are calling for radical change.
Not only is it worrisome that these people believe radicals will fix their plight (in fact they will make it worse), but it is that they refuse to realise that moderates are truly the only ones that can alleviate their suffering. Why is this so? Because the world is complex with far too many nuances to be explained or fixed by some extremist with a megaphone yelling about oppression. No, we can only make progress if those in power are sensible and wise enough to look at all sides of an argument and come up with a pragmatic worldview that acknowledges that the world does not always conform to ideologically based goals.
The fact of the matter is that reality does not have a conservative, liberal, socialist, communist, or fascist bias. It only has one bias, and that is for the truth. So while reality may favour the left on one issue, it may very well favour the right on another.
This inherent truth is what allows moderate
ideologies to triumph, because those on the far sides of the debate will almost never yield to the idea that their ideology could ever be wrong. It is this stubbornness that both appeals to many people in times of distress and dooms the radicals to failure.
In uncertain times, it is comforting to vast amounts of people to hear voices that are so sure of themselves. They love to hear that there is a simplistic explanation to the reason their societies are suffering, even more, they like hearing that there is a simplistic solution. This way of thinking is what ultimately leads to bad decisions, decisions that no moderate would make because they know it would put their country at risk. Radicals however do not care, they are pursuing an ideological goal, not a pragmatic one. This pursuit will lead to false beliefs and bad decisions, especially in the long run.
One example of this can be seen in the debate over free trade. While free trade is almost universally recognised as a good thing in economics, there are still many who argue for protectionism in the name of protecting people’s jobs and wages. This idea has been proven false in the past and many times as free trade actually creates jobs and increases the purchasing power of wages. Another example comes with regards to rent controls. While they sound nice in theory, what they do in practice is reduce the number of homes available to rent because many former renters no longer find it worth their time or money to rent anymore due to the rent controls. Regardless many remain in support of them.
It is in the wake of these ideas that I issue a call to all moderates, rise up. We must not allow the radicals to use fear mongering to win this next General Election. If we agree to come together and fight the forces of extremism then we can and we will be able to provide a better future for all of Britain. Moderates of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but the election!
Liberalism and the left: The Budget Oddity
Jamman35 he coalition agreement for the new government, released on Tuesday, contained very little surprises. It was a predictable hodgepodge of centre-left politics that one might expect to be released by the synthesis of liberal and leftist parties. There were a number of policies that I expect our party will fight viciously, such as the predictable endorsement of nationalisation and condemnation of nuclear power. There were also a number of policies I found surprisingly agreeable. The commitment to reduce the corporate tax was one, and the pledge to meet NATO targets on defense was another. On the whole, it seems that we will see much more reasonable policy enacted by this government than their simultaneously extreme and dysfunctional predecessors. However, the budget contained one curious policy that I expect much of this parliament to revolve around. The vow to establish UBI, first invented by and advocated for by Libertarians and freemarket radicals (a term I do not use pejoratively), was a shock. The UBI is a curious policy for Labour and the Greens to endorse, for while it undoubtedly meets the definition of progressive insofar as it is new, shiny, and throws caution to the wind, it is an embracement of Liberalism in the purest sense. A UBI, fundamentally, means two things for a welfare system: firstly, it lessens the moral agency of the State, and secondly, it represents an embrace of free market individualism as the primary means of combatting poverty. The actual amount at which the UBI is set is irrelevant; while I fully expect the government to set it at an irresponsible and immense amount, the government would have raised current welfare benefits regardless (they've already committed to abolishing the welfare cap). The reason the state distributes a number of different benefits, is because the welfare state was not, strictly speaking, created to redistribute wealth. Otherwise, it would not be divided as it is into mountains of acronyms and arcane formulas. The government
T
uses the welfare state to achieve moral goals within society. An example is the child benefit, designed to promote family values and give children the opportunity to be given a traditional upbringing. Or take the carer's allowance, because personal care is considered a more humane form of living than a retirement or seniors' home. The UBI will undoubtedly supplant a great deal of these benefits, making the welfare state a redistributive mechanism, not a tool for the State to promote moral, British values. This is unfortunate; I suspect the government underestimates the amount of societal success that comes from traditional ethic of British society. The second effect, one which I would usually support, is the expansion of individualism. The current welfare state regularly checks upon individuals to make sure they are searching for a job, and provides specific services rather than cash payments. The government's proposal for a UBI undermines this, assuming that simply giving individuals cash for them to satisfy their needs by purchasing goods is sufficient. The assumption is that individuals are to be trusted, and will dig themselves out of a hole with purchasing power alone. Their (likely) expansion of the welfare state is unlike that of Attlee or Disraeli, who were never so naive to trust individuals to that extent. You can't take your money out of the NHS or the education system to purchase crack cocaine or play Texas hold'em. The reality is that many of those who are poor, are poor because they've been denied the proper upbringing and education that would allow them to make good decisions. The government checking in, making sure they are seeking jobs, or providing specific services that they need, will make sure they are able to elevate themselves out of poverty and contribute to society in a positive manner. I am a great supporter of individualism and the free market. But I do believe there are situations in which the government must be given moral authority, and where individuals must be guided in the correct direction. That is why I expect to fight the government's proposal of a UBI, because it is too liberal
and too trusting of individuals. I'm surprised Labour would take a course so different from the welfare state they helped create. It makes a strange spectacle for a Tory to be invoking Attlee, while Labour borrows policies from Milton Friedman.
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
Opinion
Reality on Demon4372
D
emon4372 was a Liberal Democrat MP, Lord, Deputy Leader and part of the furniture over at the Liberal Democrats, so where did it go wrong?
Ever since the beginning, he had issues keeping his anger in, he won debates by pushing people into submission, destroying people's logic, and, despite his methods, he was good at it and that won him arguments, and it landed him directly in the seat of a Deputy Leader, filling that of Morgsie's, whom demon4372 pushed to "jump before he was pushed" wanting him to resign, rather than lose a vote of confidence.
With Morgsie gone, demon4372 was the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, leading the party through the third and fourth general elections, alongside /u/bnzss, later, and /u/HaveADream. Demon4372 was good at managing to get his message everywhere he could, and he was key in major defections to the Liberal Democrats over the course of his tenure. Despite being a key issue for many parties, he managed to always get a good deal from negotiations, refusing to ever back down in the face of diplomacy, and he was pretty much the main reason why the Liberal
Democrats got Chancellor from the Sixth Government. Nobody could ever undermine his effort.
So where did it go wrong for him? Demon4372 had previous warnings for his conduct, from both his party and the speakership, being extremely controversial in the way he spoke and acted to people, he was very outspoken and always spoke the truth to people, publicly denouncing /u/ RoryTime during his tenure as speaker for his controversial actions, going against his party line on the issue of Nuclear Power and insulting /u/Timanfya on the announcement that /u/Imperial_, a Liberal Democrat, hadn't won a seat (even though he had, Timanfya made two mistakes.)
Beyond that, demon4372 was still allowed in the Liberal Democrats to run as President, subject to a vote of confidence. Perhaps unfortunately, partially due to comments from /u/Remiel, demon4372 lost the Vote of Confidence, and, refusing to remain as a user, decided to leave the Liberal Democrats.
Whether he shall return shall be seen.
I believe this was partially why he was banned, despite his official ban reason, what was that? He accessed GeoSmiths, a former UKIP MP's, reddit account, following geosmith posting it in the MHOC Skype Main Chat, and accessed it for several months, according to some, he went on it once or twice, according to others, he used it to spy on UKIP. Whether it was the spying incident or his general conduct, James was banned from MHOC.
MHoCball
The Week | Sunday 8 November 2015
Consume no more than
grams of salt a day Stay healthy. Know the guidelines.