Making a stand in support of a big issue is becoming increasingly popular. At least outside established party political structures that appears to be true as the Occupy Wall Street, Occupy the London Stock Exchange and similar movements in many other sites around the world are showing.
But within Britain's mainstream political parties, especially Labour and Conservative, and increasing the Liberal Democrats, accountability, party and parliamentary democracy are under threat. Today's Independent newspaper revealed here a possible consensus on the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) about the state-funding of political parties aka 'snouts in the trough together now' may have been shattered. I hope the correspondent, Andrew Grice is right. Any such increase as proposed by the CSPL further diminishes the prospect of politically active citizens every holding the leaders of their chosen political party to account.
There is a deeply embedded sense of entitlement and contempt for due process displayed by our elected representatives as vividly illustrated all to frequently in public life.
So I'm with former MP Harry Barnes who commented on an earlier post of mine on this site as follows:
"Our Dronfield Labour Party Discussion Group meets on Sunday evening to have a look at what happened at the Labour Party Conference. I hold various Conference material handed to me by a delegate. Ann Black has also been helpful in supplying important links to such material. As I work on matters over the week, I will post material on my own blog "threescoreyearsandten" and on our Discussion Group Blog "dronfieldblather". A report of our meeting is then likely to appear on the Group's blog. Along with the Dronfield Labour Party, we made submissions to "Refounding Labour", "Partnership Into Power" and "New Politics, Fresh Ideas". Our CLP also submitted similar material to Refounding. Of course, nothing made any progress whatsoever. But then the Labour Party does not want the ideas from Labour Party activists even to be heard, for we are considered to be unlike "ordinary people" and are liable to terrify voters. Only the careerist "political class" can be trusted to tuck in with what is wanted. It is in danger of becoming all that will remain. It is time to make waves, before it is all too late."
My best guess is that the new general secretary and the national executive committee (NEC) have until 15 November to get their brains in gear. That is when the NEC discusses strategic issues for the next year. The prospects of anything happening in between now and then are non-existent if past performance is anything to go by. But as our late former leader Harold Wilson reminded us, "A week is a long time in politics."