18/10/2008

Democracy in Action

Two blog posts separated by time but worth considering together:

Devolution Lite from Adam price MP comments on how the Westminster Welsh Affairs Committee has dealt with a Legislative Competence Order to:
revoke tenants’ automatic right to buy council properties in order to protect and enhance the stock of social housing, particularly in areas of high housing need.

Basically they have said that the Assembly can not have this competence unless they agree to use it in the way that the Welsh Affairs Committee dictates

Gray's Monotony explains the constitution of the Welsh Affairs Committee:
the Conservatives' strength in parts of England means that they are awarded a greater number of positions on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee than parties performing as well, if not better, in Wales alone.

So a committee that doesn't reflect how Wales votes has a veto over an Assembly that the people of Wales vote for ...

... and they call that Democracy!

Cross posted to Wales First

4 comments:

  1. the best joke i ever heard was that we live in a fully functioning democracy, sadly the welsh people don't seem to care that about democracy.

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  2. Alwyn, I owe you an apology, the reference to "Alwyn" was not meant to reference yourself, I will modify the playlet's as soon as I can.

    Once again my apologies.

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  3. They are calling democracy what should be called representative government. Another little shift to authoritarianism.

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  4. Seems the union suits very few at the moment.

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