Coup d’etat‏

The political desperados now governing the UK moved quickly to re-write the political rules. No longer will the loss of a ‘no confidence’ vote by a simply majority of MP’s lead to a general election.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/uk_politics/election_2010/8681624.stm

We need to call on all genuine Liberal Democrats and all in the progressive left to do everything we can to put their self serving principle betraying leader back in his place

Under current Parliamentary convention the loss of a no confidence vote is carried with in effect 50% +1 MPs voting. This by convention has then led to the dissolution of Parliament. The Clameron coalition have stated the following in their coalition agreement:- The parties agree to the establishment of five year fixed-term parliaments. A Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government will put a binding motion before the House of Commons in the first days following this agreement stating that the next general election will be held on the first Thursday of May 2015. Following this motion, legislation will be brought forward to make provision for fixed term parliaments of five years. This legislation will also provide for dissolution if 55% or more of the House votes in favour.

The first part of this statement is merely window dressing. The UK already has a maximum Parliamentary term of five years and that has been the case for generations. Binding motions can be overturned that’s the nature of democracy. The serious change is the 55% rule on dissolution of Parliament. This is a calculated and devious change.

Some are now arguing semantics and saying that the no confidence rule on 50% +1 has not been changed and that the 55% rule is merely for dissolution but this makes a nonsense of the ‘no confidence’ vote.

In reality by needing a higher number of MPs to vote for the dissolution an inept government without majority support could still cling to power and try to continue in Government or form a new coalition.

If the Tories are allowed to get this through, as they have pledged within the first few days of Parliament, it would allow a dysfunctional government to remain in power with no recall by the electorate. The hypocrisy of this stinks. These two public school prefects have had the audacity to preach that they have entered a new era of politics. What they have done is to return our constitution back to the dark days where only a privileged minority had access to power.

It is an outrageous attack on the constitution. The electorate will have no say because the representatives that they have elected to serve on their behalf will be shackled by the 55% rule. We should also be gravely concerned about the levels to which this could sink our democracy. By using anything other than a simple majority what would stop a future government, of any party, from meddling.

Should it go to 60%? Should it go to 70%? The 55% is an entirely made up and arbitrary figure but coincidentally if you do the Maths on this it takes dissolution of Parliament beyond the reach of the opposition and would mean in effect virtually all of the Liberal vote switching sides. Hardly likely given 20 of the 57 will be bought off through ministerial patronage. The right have already risen to the defence of Clameron to say that in Scotland Parliamentary dissolution requires a two thirds majority.

What nonsense. The arrangements in Scotland were subject to the introduction of a new Parliament and the introduction of proportional representatives. To introduce the 55% rule in Westminster, without any form of debate is an utter right wing stitch up . We need to call on all genuine Liberal Democrats and all in the progressive left to do everything we can to put their self serving principle betraying leader back in his place.