Keith Warburton’s Post

As promised, a more detailed look at each module. Let's start with Contemporary British Government: as someone who didn't know much about British politics, I found this course incredibly interesting and insightful: it covered everything that a beginner in this field would need to know: history, constitution, voter and ideologies . The first part covered all the essentials about Constitutional law, the legislature, and the courts. We discussed the  evolution of the British State, the roles and powers of each of the branches of government. The second part focused on parties, ideologies and elections. We discussed voter motivation and behavior, the ideological orientations of parties and voters. It was also great to look at how Brexit affect each and every part and actor in British politics and how four years after it’s conclusion it continues to be an incredibly influential factor in politics. #BritishPolitics #UKPolitics #PoliticsCourse #BritishGovernment

If ever there is a need for Independents, the time is now, if any Parliament becomes as Lord Hailsham mentioned an Elective dictatorship (executive dominance) due to a landslide, and the opposition is so depleted, Independent voices matter to become part of the check and balances to protect society as a whole This by Malcolm Aldons is excellent, but bear in mind, it was in relation to Australian Politics but has real value here. https://lnkd.in/eJ9fSKT9 If you as a voter, feel that change is needed, please consider voting for an independent, if you have voter apathy and are considering not voting, then PLEASE go out and VOTE Independent, and if you are a first time voter, you can see the history of the past 20 years, Independents struggle to get a VOICE in the Election period, but your vote can get them into the @HouseofCommons and you can empower them to have a VOICE for you, the local electorate.

Excited to see our article out in the Journal of Political Institutions & Political Economy, especially in the issue commemorating the 30th anniversary of Cox & McCubbins' field-defining Legislative Leviathan: Party Government in the House. Josh Ryan & I ask are there exogenous sources of variation in ideological policy concessions the majority makes to the minority in Congress? Yes! We theorize & find that electorally strong majorities have little incentive to moderate bills while weaker majorities face strong incentive to motivate bipartisanship towards reaping electoral benefit. This shows a clear trade-off between public electoral support for majority parties & pursuing their partisan agendas on the floor of the U.S. House. Link: https://lnkd.in/gehbEg2A

Do we need a new Declaration of Independence? One where we declare independence from the two-party system? In this article, we present key grievances against the two-party system and discuss why it's time for change. Join the conversation and explore how we can move beyond the limitations of the current political landscape. #TwoPartySystem #PoliticalReform #DeclarationOfIndependence #IndependentPolitics #Change #FutureOfAmerica #JoinTheMovement https://lnkd.in/g7F26RxM

This is a really pathetic argument against Proportional Representation (PR). So, PR will result in Reform UK gain a number of seats in Parliament. 'It will open the door to people like Nigel Farage' says the letter writer below. Errr...I don't know if you've been paying attention to British politics recently Mr. statement-of-the-bleeding-obvious but...it looks like to door is already wide open for Mr. Farage. In fact, he's already through it comfortably and enjoying a martini on the sofa. Meanwhile, power is changing hands and absolutely no-one is excited by it. No-one. The public, the actual public not retired factory workers in Thurrock with to buy to let property empires, are completely bored of this election and just want it to be over. Trust in politics is at an all time low, when a new party is coming into government. That's really strange, and dark actually. PR is badly needed to give the British public a real choice and end this rigged, gerry-mandered, voter-supressed sham of a democracy. #election2024 #Britainelects #generalelection2024 #Proportionalrepresentation #Farage

Abstention is a deadly poison, because those who don't vote give up their power to those who do vote. And those who vote the most are the advocates of the most extreme theses, whose only common denominator is their desire to put an end to democracy, which is so much appreciated by those who abstain. In particular, to abstain in the European elections is to give full power to those who would like to undo Europe, by denying the primacy of treaties over national law and rejecting all forms of financial, social, ecological, technological and military solidarity. My new column for Les Echos is online. https://lnkd.in/ecEmDm_d

For 858 years juries of ordinary citizens have been tasked with incredibly important and weighty decisions. Applying the same idea to politics is one of the most important ways to address the crisis of trust in our politics and politicians. Martin Wolf writes in the Financial Times: "ordinary people have lived experience that ministers, civil servants and the normal range of experts will lack. By participating, they can bring this knowledge into the heart of decision-making." https://lnkd.in/d9X74RPD #858Project #UKPolitics #HouseOfCitizens

"THE POWER OF DEMOCRACY" The word democracy comes from the Greek words "demos", meaning people, and "kratos" meaning power; so democracy can be thought of as "power of the people": a way of governing which depends on the will of the people. Democracy is the name given to a number of forms of government and procedures which have legitimacy because they have the consent of the people they govern. The two main criteria for a democracy are, firstly that the officials exercising power have legitimate authority because they have been elected, as opposed to inheriting that authority or holding it by force; and secondly, the mechanism for changing the government is through peaceful and regular elections, as opposed to revolts, coups, or civil war. Democracy is not a theory about what the aims or content of government or law should be, only that those aims should be guided by the opinion of the majority, as opposed to a single ruler (as with an absolute monarchy, dictatorship, or oligarchy). Just because a government has been democratically elected does not mean it will be a good, just, or competent government. Thus, some polities have used the democratic process to secure liberty while others have used it to promote equality, nationalism, or other values. Democracy is also a peaceful way for a group of any size to settle arguments or make decisions. Everyone has a vote and is committed to respecting the decision that wins. This does not mean the decision will be the best one, or even a good one. It is simply a mechanism for enabling everyone to be involved in the decision making process, which gives the decisions binding legitimacy. By the end of this i would like to conclude that democracy plays a very important role in choosing a wise man and giving him an important role of the government and here it depends on the people to choose the right person who is required #humanvalues001 #morewelessme

Those of us in Alberta who are fed up to the teeth with Ottawa and the Laurentian elite may very well decide to push for independence if Turdeau should happen to win the next election. According to the Center for Constituional Studies, the Steps to Achieve Alberta Independence are as follows (details of each in the link below): 1) Decide to hold an independence referendum. 2) Decide on a referendum question to ask the population. The question needs to be clear. 3) Conduct the campaign, hold the referendum, and tally the votes. If the pro-independence side garners the most votes in the referendum, they must have received enough votes to show a “clear expression” of the will of Albertans to leave Canada. 4) The House of Commons will decide if the majority vote in favour of separation is a “clear expression” of the will of Albertans to leave Canada. 5) Alberta, the federal government, and the other provincial governments will engage in negotiations to change the Constitution. 6) If negotiations are successful then a constitutional amendment will be enacted, and Alberta will gain independence. The relationship between an independent Alberta and the rest of Canada would be determined by the negotiations which led to the amendment.