Democracy Denied
Westminster has endorsed Labour cancelling elections.
Is it acceptable that elections across England were cancelled at just a few months notice?
I certainly don’t think so.
In a remarkable coincidence, many of the areas no longer holding elections are some of the strongest Reform areas.
This is all part of Labour’s reorganisation of local Government that has been backed locally by many Conservatives. What opposition?
The end result could now be hundreds of Councillors staying in post for seven years without facing elections.
It amounts to a disgraceful stitch-up. Why aren’t Labour’s plans, now endorsed by local Tory Councillor groups, being put to the public to vote on? Isn’t that the whole point of local democracy?
Instead what we have seen this week shows once again that the Conservatives remain all talk and no action.
They are happy to complain but won’t do what is required to actually bring about change.
This has been illustrated once again by Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch’s insistence that the widespread elections delays shouldn’t happen, and that all of the votes should take place on 1st May this year as originally scheduled.
Yet when Westminster voted yesterday on overturning the election delays, the Tories once again showed themselves to be big on talk and feeble in action.
As Nigel Farage wrote yesterday:
“Today the House of Lords can, ironically, strike a blow for democracy.
“5.5m people had their votes cancelled in the English County Council elections.
“Those elections can be reinstated by a vote in the Lords today. We will watch closely what Tory Peers do.”
A Liberal Democrat motion from Baroness Pinnock read:
“Baroness Pinnock moved that a Humble Address be presented to His Majesty praying that the Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2025, laid before the House on 11 February, be annulled, as it denies timely democratic representation to a substantial portion of the electorate; undermines local democratic accountability; disrupts established electoral cycles; lacks sufficient consultation; and erodes the democratic mandate for major restructuring of local government (SI 2025/137).”
If the Conservatives had backed it, the election delays could have been stopped.
But did they? Of course not.
In fact just one Tory Peer bothered to vote for it, with Labour Lords voting it down 163-63.
What the Conservatives did back was a motion that was only expressing regret and would not have stopped or amended the legislation anyway. That was also defeated by Labour.
So 126 Tory Peers managed to vote for the toothless regret motion but only one backed the actual bid to overturn the election cancellations.
Despite all the speeches about how the Conservatives have supposedly learnt their lessons, once again they are exposed as being just all talk.
As for the election postponements, we’re told the millions who now won’t get to vote this year will get their chance next year instead.
I’m not sure I believe that either. Who knows how long these delays could now drift on for.
But when it comes to Westminster politics it is always wise to watch what parties actually do, not just what they say.
They should take away their pay and make it voluntary to be an MP. They are not doing what the people asked for. To cancel local elections should start a cancellation of MP’s.
Of course the Tories are hiding behind Labour on this, they are as vulnerable as Labour. They are all running scared of Reform and hope that another year will save them and miraculously their vote will come back, cap in hand, and ask for more nonsense.