The MPs expenses controversy shows that we need some way of holding our elected representatives to account between elections. I'd like to draw your attention to the longstanding Green Party policy of enabling elected representatives on all bodies to be recalled if enough of their constituents want it. Here's a copy of the policy wording from the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society:'Government at all levels should be accountable to electors between elections and accordingly necessary legislative steps will be taken to provide for a prescribed percentage of any representative's electors to be able to petition for the recall of any elected person, and rules will be made for the conduct of such recall petitions.'
More Green policies on Public Adminsitration and Government here.
Very interesting that you should raise this now -I'm just writing a motion to Autumn Conference specifying exactly what the threshold should be for recall of MPs (40% of registered electors), because, strangely, we have a mechanism specified for councillors but not Parliament!
ReplyDeleteCalifornia uses a 12% figure to recall the Governor. Other US states use 25%.
ReplyDeletehttp://aceproject.org/ace-en/focus/direct-democracy/recall
For me the set of rules recall operates under and the body overseeing the system are key considerations too.