Starmer’s chronicles

[jfman]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

I don’t mind either, as long as they keep to the mandate.

But I disagree in part with your stance that if an MP or councillor changes parties they should automatically submit themselves to a re-election. If they have pledged to achieve things which have proved difficult or impossible to achieve with the party to which they belonged and have changed to a party that will help them better to achieve it, then that’s acceptable in my book.

However, if they’ve decided they no longer wish to go for what they set out in their manifesto, then I agree they should submit themselves for re-election.

I know that many people vote for parties, but our electoral system does not work like that. We vote for candidates, not for political parties or Prime Ministers.

This is inherently contradictory. It’s extremely unlikely someone can defect from one party to another and it substantially be “the same manifesto”.

Originally Posted by jfman

The country facing an election every two years might actually force parties to reckon with the issues that they refuse to touch, which arguably debilitate the country for even longer.

Because we don’t already have a problem with short-term thinking

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Chris

Because we don’t already have a problem with short-term thinking

I could have been clearer - I wasn’t suggesting formalising that. But if it happened a few times it might make parties address unpopular issues because of how unsustainable it is.

The UK needs action on a number of issues it’s almost impossible to touch because parties tie themselves up in manifesto commitments unsuitable for reality.

• Benefit cuts
• Raising taxes
• Ending the triple lock
• Affordable housing
• Immigration
• Council tax reform

To name a few.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by jfman

This is inherently contradictory. It’s extremely unlikely someone can defect from one party to another and it substantially be “the same manifesto”.

Not at all. If the only way an MP can fulfil the promises he or she made to voters is to join another party that would allow these promises to be fulfilled, then I think that is acceptable.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Not at all. If the only way an MP can fulfil the promises he or she made to voters is to join another party that would allow these promises to be fulfilled, then I think that is acceptable.

But the promises the MP made to their voters is in their Party's manifesto, not another Party's manifesto. The Conservative Party's manifesto is not the same as Reform UK's and Reform UK's is not the same as Restore Britain's. Yet MPs have moved from the Conservative Party to Reform and one MP has moved from Reform to Restore.