Take Back Parliament

Why we should all campaign for Recall

Steve Shaw advocates campaigning for Recall, what do you think?

Our democratic system desperately needs reform. People increasingly feel disconnected from political processes and from decisions which are taken that affect their lives. Introducing recall: the power for citizens to remove their MP, would be very effective at reversing this in a way unlike any other proposed reform.

 In 1843, John Trelawney MP for Tavistock stated ‘his willingness to resign his seat if called upon to do so by a majority of his constituents’ (the Trelawney Diaries). We need more MPs like him. Too often in recent years have MPs abused their position, been involved in scandal or broken their word and yet remained in office.

Furthermore, Parliament (i.e. our MPs) is meant to hold the government to account. Yet currently the reverse happens: party leaders and whips control how MPs vote and the Parliamentary legislative timetable.

Citizens have no way to hold their MPs to account. General elections are almost never about voting for your MP, but rather about voting for the next government and based on the government’s record.

Giving citizens the right to recall their MPs will mean they truly can hold them to account and will also mean they have more power over them than the government and political party leaders and whips.

The government have proposed a recall mechanism but theirs is dependent on a Parliamentary Committee finding an MP guilty of ‘serious wrongdoing’. True recall empowers people, not Parliamentary Committees.

Unlock Democracy are campaigning for people to have the power to recall their MP if they have lost confidence or trust in them for any reason. Whilst there should be safeguards to ensure this power is used rarely and appropriately, our clear intention is to make MPs less accountable to whips and party leaders and more accountable to voters.

Make no mistake, this will likely be a long and hard campaign to win. However, a small and growing cross-party group of thirty MPs already support full recall. Please help ensure this group grows by asking your MP to sign Early Day Motion 1253 in support of introducing full recall powers.

 

 

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