When Laws Don't Work

[andrewducker]

Brian Haw has been protesting outside the houses of parliament for 4 years now - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Parliament eventually passed a law with the single purpose of stopping him, declaring that all people starting a demonstration around the houses of parliament must ask for authorisation.

The smart people amongst you will have seen the loophole.

And the judges agreed.

If he started now, he'd have to ask permission.  But he's been doing it for 4 years, so he doesn't have to.

Time for another law?

Comments

[opusfluke.livejournal.com]

Ah, democracy! You do have to love the way they pretend that we, The People, actually have a say in what goes on and have a right to peacful protest!

[themongkey.livejournal.com]

Time for another parliament.

[rahaeli.livejournal.com]

That's brilliant.

[andrewducker]

But we just got one! It can't be broken already!

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

He's great, isn't he?

I shook his hand once. Ahem. :-)

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

Hee hee. That's excellent.

Broken

[wordofblake.livejournal.com]

It was broken when you got it. The only reason they got it is the reason you (and Spitting Image) gave

Representative democracy just does not work. Once the election is over the Government can abandon all pretense of caring what the electorate think. Labour have the joint security of the British still hating the Tories and of the British thinking it is a two party system like in America, so they can be safe in ignoring you.

Not to mention the boost they get from doublethinking people like this

[thefirethorn.livejournal.com]

What is he protesting?

Re: Broken

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Wow - I didn't expect that link to go to a post I'd made!

Re: Broken

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Double plus good!

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

He's got a website - tells you all about it.

[azalemeth.livejournal.com]

I love it when they make mistakes like that :).

Talking of representative democracy, I'd think that the best way to do it would be to have a waterfall system, say 100 people form the first rung of local government. Local government - they control things that are local to that neighbourhood / hamlet / area. They would also be made up entirely of the residents of said area (with opt-out system for those who really don't want any part). They then elect / push forward one person to the next rung, which would cover a wider geographical area. As 100 is still 'small enough' that everyone can know everyone, you'd have someone who might be a great thinker, but to shy to go forward. The next rung would do the same, and so on, until you end up with a "council of elders" style system, of twenty odd, making the equivalent of the Cabinet. One leader would probably emerge of his own accord - the term Prime Minister originally orientated as an insult against Pitt the Elder, iirc - who would be the ruler. Have everyone re-elect their groups' representative one the first of January, and make sure that those at the top still carry out and take part in their local groups, and pay those with large demands on their time. If each small chamber held 100, you'd only need three layers to get from 60 million to 60.


'Course none of the above would ever happen, but hey, it's either that or benign dictatorship -- with me as the dictator -- as my personal preference for the best form of government :P.