Comments on: Coalition: Chris Huhne confirms – the Cyberlock applies

By: Xochitl Hila

Xochitl Hila — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 05:38:54 +0000

This postis not opening up for me, I tried to e-mail you. Could you get back to me about this.

By: Proportionality and voting reform | Local Democracy

Proportionality and voting reform | Local Democracy — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:37:02 +0000

[...] that the Lib-Dems will do a deal with the Tories. They are obliged to run this by their membership (remember the ‘Cyberlock‘?) and I’m not sure that they will stomach a deal with the Tories that readily. Also, the [...]

By: Paul Pettinger

Paul Pettinger — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:16:19 +0000

Wow. These democratic structures are quintessentially Lib Dem. I am amazed that several of you take issue with them. They may be bureaucratic, but they serve to challenge a gross centralisation of power, which strikes me as wholly welcome.

By: Jock

Jock — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:16:05 +0000

Yeah, but Mark, it is at least consistent with the whole ethos of our democratic system. *We* are expected to vote for the person or party we would least dislike (or most like in far too many cases) having our colons pummelled by, after all!

(and fair play – at least having AS as chief whip kept his attentions away from local government and housing)

By: Mark Littlewood

Mark Littlewood — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:05:24 +0000

Amongst the truly weird and bizarre elements of LibDem rules (and there are many), the one that still truly, utterly foxes me is that the Parliamentary Party elect the Chief Whip.

It’s worth remembering that the Chief Whip’s basic job is to make himself pretty unpopular amongst his colleagues by attempting to enforce the leader’s will.

This is no reflection on Paul Burstow or Andrew Stunell – both of whom have applied themselves to the task with aplomb.

But it is still utterly, crushingly mad.

For good measure, the LibDem MPs also elect the deputy leader and the chair of the Parliamentary party. Partly to keep a close eye on making sure the chief whip doesn’t go native.

It’s all very genial. But it’s also clinically insane.

By: Jock

Jock — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:13:50 +0000

Hmmm – personally if the party leader and negotiating team (which probably ought to be carefully assembled to include representatives of any “factions” amongst the MPs) could not persuade three-quarters of his MPs and the party top executive body then I would have thought that any “deal” he was proposing would be doomed in any case. These are, after all, the people whose votes he would be “pledging” to a deal. And I would not have thought that any other political party’s rules would be terribly much different if we knew them.

Or are you saying that, as leader, he should be able to count on group loyalty of the MPs regardless maybe?

I would imagine a sensible process would be to get the whole parliamentary group together *before* starting negotiating, to endorse the strategy and empower the negotiating team on the proviso that the final deal would come back to them for a final vote.

Also, I reckon that if he could not carry 75% of the MPs and FE then he is extremely unlikely to carry the party at a conference. Unless the former are being tribal and silly they will be in a far better position to know whether what is proposed is the “best they will get” than any conference delegate.

By: Angela Harbutt

Angela Harbutt — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:51:51 +0000

Paul Jock Andy – I am more than happy for you to debate this as long as you want….. as far as I am concerned there comes a time when you have to say Southport was 1998 and NOW is NOW. We are facing the biggest economic crisis in generations…massive debt…losing our triple A rating… the market is more than a little skittish about a hung parliament. We would be laughing our socks off if the Tories could not take up power without a meeting of activists by the seaside .. I think the country will rightly despair if the Lib Dems can’t empower their leader to take a decision in a time of national crisis….We either back Nick and team and his judgement during this period of economic calamity (and deselect him as leader if he screws it up) OR we go back to our constituencies and prepare for ….. hibernation???

By: Jock Coats

Jock Coats — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:57:01 +0000

*I* would solve it by not *electing* people

Interesting blog by the way. But rather than hijack this I’ll probably contact you through there about something rather different.

By: Paul Evans

Paul Evans — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:19:47 +0000

You solve that by not re-electing people.

The problems with any kind of mandate are complex, often hidden, but – IMHO – huge.

I think I’m monopolising this thread with a hobby horse of mine – I blog about this a lot – over here: http://blog.localdemocracy.org.uk

By: Jock Coats

Jock Coats — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:03:03 +0000

But not insurmountable monopoly problems!