Five thousand businesses in the City of London are to be enfranchised in local elections. They will join the 11, 000 sole traders and partnerships that have the vote already. There are only 6000 City residents entitled to vote.
Small businesses will have one vote. Those with 50 or more staff will be entitled to ten or more votes. In all the newly enfranchised businesses will be able to cast 15,000 votes.
The new system will come into effect with the local elections next March.
Charlie Windsor, who is entitled to inherit the office of head of state on the death of his mother, has decided that British taxpayers should pay £4.6M to do-up his dead grandmother's old London home, Clarence House. Mr. Windsor will live there when not staying at his Scottish castle, London palace or Gloucestershire mansion.
The resignation of the Governor-General of Australia has put the freeing of that country from the British monarchy back on the public agenda, according to the Australian Republican Movement (ARM). Dr. Peter Hollingworth stepped down as Liz Windsor's representative and head of state in Australia following a scandal involving an allegation of rape and criticism of his decision, while serving as a bishop, to allow a priest who had sexually abused a child to continue working.
John Warhurst, who chairs ARM, said that the resignation showed that "the current system is broken and need replacing." He added that the Governor-General had resigned because of "the personal and political imperatives" of the Australian Prime Minister, who advises Ms. Windsor in her role of UK-based head of state. He called for a republican constitution that would be democratic and transparent, unlike the existing system.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard is opposed to the democratisiation of his country's constitution.
A bill to remove the remaining 92 hereditary legislators for life will be introduced in the next session of parliament, according to a report in the Telegraph newspaper. The bill would also establish a commission to appoint new legislators-for-life.
Ten Conservative Party legislators would lose their seats if the bill was passed. Among them would be the so-called Lord Strathclyde who leads his party?s unelected legislators. The Conservative leader is now calling for an elected second chamber although he is not believed to have supported democratisation before reform of the House of Lords began.