News

A “senior (labour) party official” has admitted that a seat in parliament can be bought for cash, according to a report in the Financial Times. The official told the newspaper that it was acceptable for business people who made donations to finance “city academies” to be rewarded with the position of legislator-for-life, know euphemistically as a “life peerage”.

This is the first time that a party has defended the sale of seats in the legislature. According to the party official quoted in the Financial Times these legislators would “take with them (to parliament) authority and understanding” of the party's education reforms.

The official claimed that criticism of this selling of seats in parliament was no more than labour party opponents having “a crack at the government”.

06:44 PM | | (0) | (0)

The government has promised to narrow a proposed a new law that would allow it to rule by decree. New powers to amend or repeal laws without the agreement of parliament would now be limited to to regulatory matters, according to cabinet office minister Jim Murphy.

The Financial Times said that the extraordinary law “would allow government by executive decree. After a short and non-binding consultative process and a parliamentary procedure that might involve no debate on the floor of either House,” the newspaper added, “a minister could simply change or repeal almost any law”.

There is no constitutional limit to the power of government in the UK. This and a culture that attaches little importance to the people as the source of political legitimacy may have led the government to believe it could act in this way.

08:51 AM | | (0) | (0)

A law giving special rights to Anglicans has been declared a breach of human rights by the High Court.

The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 required that immigrants pay a fee of £135 in order to marry in the UK. But those who married in an Anglican church were exempt from payment. The law was intended to deter sham marriages that some immigrants arrange in order to win the right to stay in the UK.

The Church of England was given this privilege because it was considered by the government and parliament that, unlike other religious denominations, it could be relied on not to take part in sham marriages.

High Court Judge Silber reached the conclusion that this part of the Act discriminated against the majority non-Anglican population.

The Anglican Church is the state church. It is allowed to appoint 32 legislators to sit in parliament and the head of state is also the head of the Church.

09:10 PM | | (0) | (0)

Twenty-three new legislators-for-life have been appointed to sit in the UK parliament. The new legislators who demonstrate their contempt for the rights of the British people include former trade union general secretary Bill Morris as well as a number of business people.

Four nominees for legislator-for-life who had given large donations to the Labour or Conservative parties were not given seats in the legislature apparently as a result of objections by the commission that reviews nominations for the seats.

Legislators-for-life are known as “peers” and “lords”. They are not accountable for their acts as legislators and may not be removed by the people.

09:08 PM | | (0) | (0)

The fraud of the British idea of the “rights” of the people has been exposed by the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill. If the Bill becomes law a government minister will be able to change existing laws without the consent of the legislature as long as this “does not prevent any person from continuing to exercise any right or freedom which that person might reasonably expect to continue to exercise”.

It used to be thought that British “rights” could be taken away from the people at the whim of Parliament. If this law is passed it will be clear that not even the agreement of the legislature is required. A minister will decide whether the people are being reasonable in thinking that they have a right to their freedoms.

Britain has no written constitution. The people have never been able to assert their rights over the legislature, executive and judiciary. Instead so-called “rights” have been handed down by parliament, European institutions and the judiciary.

06:17 PM | | (0) | (0)