Comments on: Help draft a new Dunning resolution

By: nasro

nasro — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:54:41 +0000

there is one rampant thing that has increased is increasing and ought to be diminished… it is the brutal barbarity against innocent children in ghaza,and the shameful connivance of those countries who pretend to be freedom and justice loving!!!!

By: Sacerdote

Sacerdote — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:22:30 +0000

Surely the simplest formulation is “The influence of the government has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminished”.

By: Richard Fletcher

Richard Fletcher — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:22:58 +0000

Not so long ago I would have said something along the lines of

“..the influence of press barons has increased, is increasing and ought to be diminished.â€

However, with the advent of the internet, their power seems to be diminishing without any help from government.

By: Bishop Hill

Bishop Hill — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:19:27 +0000

My contribution:

â€œ..the power of the man in the street has diminished, is diminishing, and must be restored.”

By: John

John — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:14:27 +0000

On reflection “ought to be diminished” should be “must be removed”.

By: John

John — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:07:52 +0000

Excellent. Although I think that the resolution needs to be strengthened. I don’t think ‘influence’ is strong enough or accurate – the ECJ and other EC bodies have precedence in many instances over our judiciary and democratically elected bodies and people. Perhaps it should be something like

â€œ..the influence and in many instances precedence, of unelected and unaccountable bodies and people over the democratically elected bodies and people within the UK has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminished â€

By: Puncheon

Puncheon — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:57:25 +0000

How about:

The influence of the political and media parasite classes has increased and ought to be diminished. No one shall be allowed to stand for public office unless they have worked in a non- political, non-public-sector or non-media capacity for at least ten years.

Taking account of clause 1 above, All media political commentators shall be forced to stand for public office every 2 years.

By: Freeborn John

Freeborn John — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:00:58 +0000

Upon further reflection I think there is a case for new Dunning resolution. I would use a phrase such as â€˜The influence of agencies insulated from the democratic process has increased â€¦â€™ and go on to elaborate who those governmental agencies are together with spin doctors, lobbyists, etc.

By: Neil Craig

Neil Craig — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:12:21 +0000

proportion of GNP spent by government/proportion of people employed by government/number & size of quangos/government controls on our lives/EU power/number & prominence of catastrophe stories in our public life

A common theme to them all.

And as a space fan:

The size of the universe has increased, is increasing & will continue to increase & humanity should be funding, mainly through X-Prizes, ways of exploring & understanding it.

By: Freeborn John

Freeborn John — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:04:34 +0000

I cannot agree that the EU can be equated with quangos, spin doctors or â€˜big moneyâ€™ (presumably business). The latter are all subject to the law of a parliament whose democratic legitimacy derives from a sovereign people. Qangoâ€™s exercise devolved power which could be taken back at any time by Parliament. The EU exercises conferred powers set out in international treaties that are far more difficult to change. Furthermore it has a legislative power which (by a declaration of the ECJ) is superior to that of any national parliament in the areas where the EU holds conferred power. And the EU itself engages in a relentless campaign to extend this legislative power into new areas and to replace the rule of unanimity â€“ which s required to preserve legitimacy in all supranational bodies â€“ by qualified majority votes such that EU law can then be imposed on the people of this country against the majority will of Parliament. And EU law once created cannot be changed by any future government we might elect, or indeed by the initiative of anyone except EU Commissioners who never propose anything that does not advance what they perceive (inaccurately) to be the common good of all Europeans; the accumulation of more powers for the EU.

The American Revolution was influenced by Locke â€“ the idea that government requires the consent of the governed who have a right of rebellion when this does not exist. The EU (like the French and Russian revolutions) by Rousseau â€“ the idea that minorities can be coerced by the general will of a collective. Edmund Burke defended the American revolutionaries saying that a “People crushed by law have no hopes but from power. If laws are their enemies, they will be enemies to laws”. Who in the Conservative party today will defend us from the ever growing body of EU law?

By: D Barfield

D Barfield — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:23:25 +0000

An excellent proposal!

By: Acorn

Acorn — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:56:04 +0000

John
See this link. I have been trying to find out what the equivalent number of “regulatory requirements” are for the UK – any ideas?

I assume this process in Canada started as a federal Act, but I don’t know. Is there any chance of coming up with a similar initiative at Westminster. Would any Select Committee take it on?

We hear lots of talk about red tape reduction but I can’t find any evidence – such as this British Columbia website – that it actually happens to the little peoples’ benefit.

http://www.regulatoryreform.gov.bc.ca/progress.htm

Reply: We have proposed an annual reduction in cost of regulation matched by repeal legislation. The government is now looking at something similar but I expect it is just words and will not be followed through.

By: apl

apl — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:17:21 +0000

â€œ..the influence of the EU has increased, is increasing, and ought to be removed within this realm.

â€œ..the influence of arbitrary government has increased, is increasing, and ought to be extinguished.”

Either of the above could have a subsidiary clause attached as follows:

And: The Standards board is an abomination in a democracy and ought to be abolished.**

**In a democracy any arm of the state that looks over the shoulder of an elected representative and says “yea” or “nay” is an outrage. Typical of something you might expect to be spawned from the (word left out) mind of the former deputy prime minister.

By: Kit

Kit — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:51:18 +0000

You forgot “the influence of ELECTED bodies and people has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminishedâ€

The attack on our liberties has been instigated our elected officials. Where are the Whigs when you need them?