Connecting the Commons
Most electors recognise that their individual Member of Parliament works hard, and across the party political divide that is undoubtedly true. It does not translate itself, however, into a generalised view of parliamentarians. Politicians have never been high in public esteem.
Ken Clarke has just chaired a Democracy Task Force to try to address this. In its conclusions, it makes the following points:
Parliament – and in particular the Commons - must be the focal point for rebuilding public trust in our democratic institutions. This requires a Commons that is visibly independent of the executive, controlling its own procedures, enhancing its scrutiny of government and leading rather than following public debate. This would result in:
Greater autonomy to ensure that the Commons can lead debates, set agendas and introduce legislation to deal with issues of concern, not merely respond to public actions
Greater independence to ensure that Parliament is seen as representing the public’s interests, not just those of the executive
Greater timeliness to ensure that MPs can act and respond to issues of the day
Greater scrutiny to ensure that Parliament has the mechanisms and authority to scrutinise and hold government to full account
Greater accessibility to ensure that the public have more understanding and access to Parliament and its powers
It then goes into some detail as to how in practice this can be realised. Despite being a brilliant Commons performer, Tony Blair transparently dislikes the place, and that has been part of the problem. The Democracy Task Force may just be part of the solution.