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I apologise for going gently off topic here, but in the context of politics generally at the moment, and what's happening in Westminster, what on earth is this all about:



Am I going completely mad, or is the whole of our political class and its coterie of bureaucratic hangers-on taking us all for complete mugs?

I'm not really concerned about fancy new ways of doing politics in Totnes whilst I read Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú headlines declaring, "The House of Commons has awarded significant pay rises to its senior officials, including some of those who oversaw the MPs' expenses scandal".

Rather than get excited about a "Big Turnout in Totnes Primary", I could weep.

Really pleased that the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú are highlighting thid issue when it is being totally ignored by the rest of the mainsream press. Just goes to show that the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú and the Conservatives are the best hope for democracy in this country.

I suggest the Tories do the same when labour try to gerrymander Mandelson into a safe seat.

#1 Hear, hear!

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING UTTERLY NUMBED (#1)

Westminster is not governance, it is a game played by parties, with us as pawns. Those who rise high enough in the Westminster Game, move on to the World Game - a larger board but still not about the wellbeing of the 6 billion pawns. Money = power; power = money. Small wonder that politicians are obscenely rewarded for failure and promoted for incompetence. (And that saving the banks was paramount.)

Universal suffrage (the manipulation of the gullible mass by the crafty few) intalled the Westminster Charade. The small rump of voters still active, are presumably the dumbest of the dumb, who can still be bought with their own money - and fail to notice.

As I have posted, ad nauseam: voters need to pass a test of competence (not unlike an immigrant becoming a citizen!). Let's enshrine the concept of the CITIZEN VOTER. But as a preliminary measure, to make such a move towards sustainable, viable governance possible, vote-in INDEPENDENTS at the next election. If we get a critical mass in Westminster they can SPOIL PARTY GAMES.

Disappointing to see this blog has only 5 comments.

In the end we have voted in all the politicians we now find are self serving rather than electorate serving.

Here is an opportunity for voters to have more of a say in who becomes a candidate and the silence is deafening.

Out of the three candidates how many have actually held down a job in the real economy? Two local government leaders and a GP does not consitute a choice as far as I am concerned; they all suck at the teat of the taxpayer.

However first prize to the Tories for trying it.

Open primaries are definitely the way forward in selecting candidates for elections. The evidence from Totnes suggests that it is potentially a good way to get voters more engaged with the political process. It should not be seen, however, as a way of heading off widespread calls for replacing the first-past-the-post system with a form of proportional representation. The Tories are vehemently opposed to PR, so maybe that's why they're pushing the idea of primaries.

If we choose to adopt primaries as the norm, then the running of them should not be left to the corrupting influence of the party machines. There would have to be some form of regulation and oversight which, unfortunately, would cost money.

Very Interesting stuff thanks,Ill write about it in U.S>