Danny Finkelstein gets it. Change is coming to politics

Danny Finkelstein's column in the Times today is brilliant.  He has been consistently ahead of the curve - and the commentariat - in seeing the impact of the internet on politics.  He might even be right about Mrs C.

He suggests that "Mr Martin's departure should be seen as the pivot between two very different ways of conducting politics.  It should be seen as the final moment in the long, slow death of closed politics and as ushering in a new age, one that will grow slowly and from small beginnings.  The era of open politics."

The future of politics in the open era is thus looser, much less whipped ... There will be more referendums .... less central accountability and more individual accountability for politicians."

Indeed.  And he could have added open primary contests to decide who stands for office in the first place.  A right of recall to fire bad MPs.  Citizen's initiatives to ensure that the politicians address our concerns, and spend less time on self serving exemptions for Freedom of Information law.

His article confirms my view that Chris Anderson's book The Long Tail, ostensibly written about the impact of the internet on shopping, is in fact one of the most influential political books of our time.

Posted on 20 May 2009 by Douglas Carswell

Comments

I totally agree Douglas. I also think there is space for a new political party. One that is built from the bottom up to reflect the new paradigm based on 21st century needs and wants of the electorate.
If done properly I think we may enter a new age of democratic involvement. For far too long people have felt disenfranchised by the old safe seat system.

Posted on 20 May 2009 09:00 by Paul

There are dangers in all this as well.

Please read this morning's posting on Ironies Too:

http://ironiestoo.blogspot.com

Posted on 20 May 2009 09:07 by Martin Cole

I don't think the Times like me any more. I tried to post this and got an error message.

"MPs expenses should be a test of competence and probity. They haven't failed under the old system - the troughing was condoned and hidden.

We do not need another quango regulating them, just complete transparency for what is claimed and refused. Let us be their judge not an unelected council."

Posted on 20 May 2009 09:22 by Gareth

POSTED LAST NIGHT - POSSIBLY MISSED YOUR EDIT?
THE ELECTION TIMETABLE BELOW WOULD GAIN MUCH PUBLIC SUPPORT WE BELIEVE - NOT TOO RUSHED BUT SOON ENOUGH FOR OPTIMISM....


We confess to feeling miffed after the PM's evening press conference. Has he not pre-empted Kelly's report with all those detailed proposals?
Yes there must be some interim 'holding' arrangements but surely Sir Christopher should have announced these by now with a date on which he will report. Altough some of these are to be welcomed 'Catch-up' Brown is so anxious to regain some initiative and momentum that again he's in danger of going off half-cock and confusing us - that's even if he's in a position to be heeded at all by MPs, the media and the electorate.

And does he not see how unattractive and demeaning his boastful approach is? " 'I' was the first to notice/to say/to announce" etc etc? Apart from being blatantly untrue it's one of the reasons he is so disconnected from the public.

Our favoured scenario would be for a general election on Thursday October 8th (assuming we cannot follow the sensible Australian procedure of a Saturday polling day).

This would:

a) Give time to select/de-select candidates

b) Give MPs an unusually hard-working summer recess to prepare.

c) Enable the Queen to open Parliament in November with a new program from her new government.

d) Prevent the waste of an entire 12 months of government inactivity and trough-swilling by retiring members.

WE COMMEND OUR PLAN TO THE HOUSE!

Posted on 20 May 2009 09:28 by THE ESSEX BOYS

NOT MANY POLITICIANS GET PRAISE FROM THE FEARED BUT RESPECTED GUIDO FAWKES SO HIS COMMENT TODAY IS WORTH PUBLISHING HERE FOR LOYAL CONSTITUENCY READERS!


Carswell's Victory
Dan Hannan went viral and wowed the YouTube generation with his speech. For a moment he seemed to have eclipsed Douglas Carswell, who was with Hannan the co-author of The Plan. In the short time Carswell has been in parliament he has made some impact with his coherent critique of the political status quo. He is independently minded and often described as a maverick; he has already managed to upset the Conservative Party establishment, turn down a PPS job offer designed to stifle him, upset the powerful defence industry lobby and break with parliamentary convention by championing the ousting of a disgraced Speaker. Not bad work.

He has a slim majority of 920. Guido expects the voters of Clacton to return him with acclaimation at the general election.

Posted on 20 May 2009 09:43 by THE ESSEX BOYS

That might be the way the populous wants to go, but it's not the way Brown & cabal want to go.

He wants to create a QUANGO to oversee politicians. Who will oversee the overseer? Why, Brown, of course - the great unelected failure. The people should be the overseers, by way of local accountability. I don't think any right-thinking people will accept less, but we are about to have it foisted upon us, nevertheless.

Can you please kick up a fuss about this?

Also can you look into the era in which Elizabeth Filkin was hounded out of office by Blair & Co - very likely the reason the MPs' expenses issue blew up in our faces?

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1775195.stm

Posted on 20 May 2009 10:17 by http://faustiesblog.blogspot.com/

Openness, transpareny, integrity.

Yes, it is the right way, and the natural way. Yes there may be dangers attached, but far rather dangers you can foresee, than dangers that are sprung upon you by the too comfortably corrupt and inefficient executive as has existed for many generations.

Those that cannot be entrusted with their own affairs...so to speak.

A revolution is upon us, and far reaching may it be.

Posted on 20 May 2009 10:38 by mark

We used to operate on a notion that it is better a guilty man goes free than imprison innocent ones.

Isn't setting up a supposedly independent regulator basically saying 'All MPs are guilty and must be policed'? Why do so few MPs stand up for themselves? MP should answer to their constituents and no one else.

Posted on 20 May 2009 12:53 by Gareth

I read it this morning and thought - yup that's it.

Mr Fink is bang on the money.

Congratulations on your result yesterday. Just don't forget it is because 'The Establishment' were out to get a Roman Catholic working class, Scottish paragon of financial probity and even-handedness :)

Posted on 20 May 2009 15:04 by Plato-Says

Err Douglas, the executive has now taken the speakers power away, so you failed. It's just more power to Brown to decide what happens in the commons, you've been had.

Posted on 20 May 2009 15:51 by Jim

I would like to see voting made compulsory- I believe this is every citizens duty, Elections every 4 years on a set date - not @ Prime Minister's whim

Posted on 20 May 2009 22:32 by Peter Mills

Finkelstein also advises the Tories to be acquiescent to get power; not to come up with new reformist ideas that might scare the voter. Wonderful, we end up with Blue Labour - back to a Blair government.
The parliament, police, legal system - all needs urgent reform.
How are we supposed to vote tory when we dont even know what they stand for?
We need a 'None of the above' to vote for, to show the party system is broken.

Posted on 21 May 2009 08:48 by wolvreen

Make A Comment