I find it odd that people have become beguiled by the idea that the Greens are anything other than rather nasty extreme communists. I suppose those too young to have seen much of the world or had to earn a living and see it sucked up by the state will think they are voting for a nice, fluffy party with a face that appears, on the face of it, friendly and kind. The reality is somewhat more horrific. A collectivist party that if it ever gained power would make Uncle Joe look like a kindly, slightly misunderstood old gentleman. The Queen needs to watch out as well.
Natalie Bennett, the Green Party leader, has indicated that she would support the abolishment of the monarchy and called on the change to be considered after the election.
I’m not a monarchist. Indeed, I have no time whatsoever for royalty – they are little more than a tedious soap opera, frankly. And the Queen betrayed us when she signed into law some very nasty acts of parliament. That was the point when she lost any support from me. However, removing her will prove tricky. Because, you see, this country is unashamedly monarchist. People pour out to wave flags at the first opportunity. You want a revolution? Kick out the Queen and watch the result.
Miss Bennett repeatedly refused to rule out removing the Queen from her role as head of state and said a decision should be placed in the hands of the people.
Given that we already know the outcome, why waste time on it? Why even bother to raise the matter? It ain’t going to happen. Not unless you want the pitchforks out on the streets. Because, if you put it to the people, the people will choose Brenda. Even I would choose her over the creatures festering in Westminster.
The Green Party leader said the issue should be considered alongside other constitutional issues in a “convention” of experts representing British voters in the next parliament.
Fuck me! This is what they have up their sleeve? A commissariat supposedly run by the people? Lenin would be proud.
The comments are unlikely to reassure undecided voters considering supporting the Greens but put off by some of the party’s more radical policies.
For radical, read “communist” so not radical at all, merely misanthropic and dangerous. It’s been tried. It was a spectacular and bloody failure. I would never vote for these evil loons.
The good news is that for all their kitten kissing cuddliness, the Green Party are characterised by a complete lack of competency. HM Queen Elizabeth II need not concern herself.
I can almost hear the royal laughter from over five thousand miles away.
Another anti-monarchist Aussie, then… didn’t they lose in Australia as well?
“Even I would choose her over the creatures festering in Westminster.”
So would I. I’m no monarchist either, but a president is likely to be worse.
I do however quite like some of this:
“PA460 The House of Lords, as presently constituted, has no legitimate mandate because it is not elected. It should be abolished and replaced by a second chamber directly elected by proportional representation. In order to provide independence from the House of Commons, the electoral method should ideally be different for each chamber. With a Parliament elected by AMS, as above, the Green Party favours a second chamber elected by Single Transferrable Vote in multimember constituencies. Its function would be to scrutinise legislation devised by the central Parliament, and to propose amendments where it felt necessary. The final decisions would, however, rest with the central Parliament.
PA461 Members of the second chamber would be elected to serve for a period of ten years. In order to ensure that the chamber was able to make independent and objective assessments of proposed legislation, no member of the second chamber should be allowed to sit on it for more than one term of office – therefore meaning that they don’t feel bound to follow the wishes of their party leaders to preserve their careers. Accountability to the electorate would be maintained by the option of recall (see PA254). In order to maintain some continuity, elections would be held every five years – with half the chamber being selected at each election.”
Anything that gets rid of the House of Lords in its present form ain’t all bad.
The rest is wishy washy bumph:
http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/pa.html
Even a stopped clock tells the right time at least once* a day. Don’t let this accidental outbreak of sanity fool you.
* (Some of us use 24-hour timepieces.)
Smoking – The Lords, even the present lot, create an oasis of good government compared to the party hacks/ whipped lobby fodder in the commons; they read the bills they’re sent to scrutinise and vote on, amend them, usually beneficially given the dangerous and stupid rubbish which often comes out of the ministries. I’d much rather abolish the Commons (which is hardly a shining example of representative democracy anyway) and be governed by the Lords. We have quite a few liberties still we’d have lost if the Lords hadn’t protected them from the totalitarian tools in the Commons.
It’s the parliamentary electoral system and the one which operates in the Commons that really most critically require reform.
A “convention of experts” eh – the Bolsheviks used to call them “Soviets”.
Yes, indeed. I’d be happy to keep the Lords overall. They are a brake on rampant democracy and the tyranny of the majority.
The Monarch serves a very useful service. No politician can gain absolute power. If Germany had been made a constitutional monarchy after WW1, Hitler would not have been able to grab absolute power in 1933, and cause WW2. Think about it before you reply!!!!
The abdication of the kaiser rather put the kibosh on that one. Actually, given the rampant anarchy that followed WW1 in Germany, I’m not sure even a constitutional monarchy would have been enough. The Nazis filled a vacuum that the allies helped to create.
Interesting question, did he jump or was he pushed. What would have happened in Germany is academic, and a useful discussion point. The really relevant point is do we wish to make it easier for someone with dictatorial tendencies to gain absolute power in this country. Some socialists and the greens would like to have absolute power, so wish to campaign against the Monarchy. That in itself is enough for us to keep a constitutional monarchy. Another thought about the greens. The green movement came from Germany, and much of their philosophy is close to that of The National Socialist German Workers Party. Another interesting thought.
What do you expect – Bennett’s an Ozzie