A constitution, Electoral and Lords reform

It has become clear that this country needs more freedom and more democracy. This is the only way that we can end the corruption of our leaders and once again become a great country.


Constitution
We are one of three of the only countries in the world that does not have a codified constitution, we are in league with New Zealand and that wonderful Israel. Therefore we need a constitution to stop our leaders abusing this country.

I will do what I think is needed making my own rules up and stealing them from other constitutions. Of course you will probably be able to see which ones are mine by the crappy wording but I can change that when I get my civil servants to work on it :)


1a. A citizens referenda, required in a free state must be given when atleast 60,000 petition the government for it.
1b. The financial tax bill of a failed citizens referenda must be levied on the people who petitioned the government for it.
1c. All referendums fall under 'citizens referenda' if they involve the whole country, whether all at the same time or during different time periods (eg 10th march in Scotland, 15 April rest of UK).
1d. All referenda campaigns (all choices-Yes and no) must be given equal funding and equal publicity must be given in all media outlets that publish information or opinion regarding the subject.
1e. All households of citizens eligible to vote must receive information from the government regarding the subject and have an adequate amount of time of atleast 8 days to read it.
1f. All future treaties will require a citizens referenda before it is signed.
1g. Britain cannot join any international groups without a citizens referenda. International groups that change their name are classed as a seperate international group and there must be a citizens referenda on membership.

2a. This constitution can only be changed through a citizens referendum requiring 50% of the votes to go in favour of the change and 40% of the adult citizens being in favour of it (40% of adult citizens in favour and only 50% of votes in favour would mean an 80% electoral turnout).
2b. This constitution is the supreme law of the UK and overrides all existing legislation that interferes with it.
2c. A Constitutional court which is the highest in the land will hear cases regarding the constitution. The job of the court is also to investigate changes to the constitution. If it is deemed that government officials - elected or none elected had been misleading the public they can publish a report saying that they have found evidence and have ruled that the officials had been misleading the public.
2d. Citizens can use deadly force against government officials that have been found to be misleading the public unless they admit they have been misleading the public, admit why they did it and hold another referendum which will be financed by the misleading government officials' financial assets. If the referendum goes in the opposite direction of what it had beforehand due to the misleading events of the government officials then they will be impeached.
2e. Judges of the constitutional court can have no political affiliation to any political party. They can also have no affiliation to any special interest group whose aims include changing the constitution or aims requiring implementing something that would require a change in constitution.
2f. Judges of the constitutional court can serve a maximum of 15 years in the constitutional court.
2g. There will be a minimum of 7 judges in the constitutional court.


3a. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a the House of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which shall consist of the House of Commons and House of Lords.
3b. The House of Commons shall be composed of members chosen atleast every five years by the people of the many constituencies.
3c. No person shall be a Member of Parliament who is not of voting age and a citizen of the United Kingdom for atleast 10 years.
3d. Members of Parliament should also live in the UK.
3e. The House of Commons shall be the only legislative power to initiate legislation.
3f. The House of Lords shall be the only body to hear impeachment cases when sitting for that purpose. The most senior constitutional court judge will be classed as the chief justice and will preside.
3g. The minimum sentence for those found guilty in impeachment cases is 3 years and shall mean removal of office and banning the holding of any elected office for 10 years after the sentence is up.
3h. All legislation must be voted on by parliament and must not be amended after the vote without another vote.
3i. All members of parliament shall have one vote.


4a. Citizens can have absolute freedom of speech, opinion including debate, peaceful assembly and protest and to petition the government for redress of grievances. Parliament shall make no law abridging any freedom in the constitution.
4b. The right to start a political party with members from a particular background shall not be infringed.
4c. Private employers may hire employees on whatever criteria they see fit.

5. The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed unless they have not served in the military.

6a. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
6b. All citizens are equal before the law. Privileges based upon birth, sex, estate, class, or religion are excluded.

7a. No fines or forfeitures will be given without trial.
7b. Civilian Criminal trials shall not be given without a jury of a minimum of 9 who will decide the verdict.
7c. In all criminal trials the defendant shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the county and city wherein the crime shall have been committed, which county shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
7d. During trials the prosecution shall have to prove that the defendant committed a crime.

8. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United Kingdom, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

9. The right of citizens of the United kingdom to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United kingdom on account of sex, ethnicity or race.

10a. In case of the removal of the Prime Minister from office or of his death or resignation, the Deputy Prime Minister shall become Prime Minister.
10b. In case of the removal of both the Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister the next in line in the Cabinet will become PM.
10c. In case of the entire cabinet losing their jobs the office of Prime Minister will be given to the highest military general unless so many government ministers lose their jobs that they are no longer the party with a majority.
10d. Within three months of a new Prime Minister being inaugurated after the death or expulsion of the last one there must be a general election.

11a. The Prime Minister can nominate all his cabinet from Parliament.
11b. There will be a maximum of 22 cabinet positions.

12a. The Church of England shall be the Established Church of Britain.
12b. The monarch shall be a member of the Church of England or an Atheist.


House of Lords

The House of Lords needs to be compatible with a modern democracy without destroying centuries of tradition and this is how we will do it:

1. The present Lords can stay including future hereditary peers.
2. There will be an elected element in the Lords which will be the amount of around 10% of the Commons which would be 65.
3. The 65 elected Lords will be the ones acting as a jury in impeachment cases and will decide the verdict but will not decide the sentence unless they are presiding over the case as Chief justice.
4. The elected Lords will serve a 3 year term.
5. Elected Lords will not be allowed to be part of any political party.
6. To run for election they must pay £5000 and will not get their deposit back.
7. Elected Lords must not receive funding from unions, political parties or members of political parties.
8. Lords will not be paid unless they are on official business (having a part in impeachment cases or being a member of a committee) or are elected.
9. Elected Lords will be required to serve on committees when asked. MPs will not serve on committees unless there is a shortage of willing lords
10. When the Parliament Act is used it will not immediately send legislation through but it will stop all lords from voting on it. Only the elected lords can vote on it.
11. All elected lords that have legal experience will be required to serve on the constitutional court. If there isn't enough with legal experience they will be taken from the Lords who will serve until there is an elected lord with the required experience.


Electoral reform

The voting system would be changed to something like STV but it would be slightly different.

On the voting slip in each constituency there will also be an option of 'None of the above'. If this is voted for most then another vote will be called a month later and the people who were running for the election in that constituency will be banned in that constituency from running for the election and the parties will have to choose someone else.

At present 66% of MPs fail to gain 50% of the vote in their constituency. This is a problem.

In the new electoral system there will be more than one round of voting if no candidate receives atleast 50% of the vote. If that happens then the 2 most voted for candidates will go into another round 1 week later. If the 'None of the above' option is voted for atleast 10% of the time then that will also go into the second round.

The percentage of the vote the winning party gets in the first round will be important. Their percentage of the vote in the first round will then be doubled and thats the amount of their manifesto they can bring in. The rest must be voted on through a citizens referenda. This would mean the manifesto would be a contract and they won't be allowed to bring in anything that wasn't in their manifesto unless it is an issue of national security.