THE GEORGE THAT TELLS THE TRUTH

I’m sure everyone remembers the riveting testimony delivered earlier this summer by British MP George Galloway. As the darling of the UK’s anti-war movement, Galloway has shaken things up many different ways, one in particular by declaring the Oil for Food program to be “the mother of all smokescreens.” Since Galloway’s name has recently been back in the news, I felt compelled to remind people of the contributions and sacrifices that he has made for the anti-war effort, and offer my opinion about how we in the U.S. could vastly improve our political system by taking a few hints from our British counterparts.

MP Galloway should be an inspiration to us all. Not only has he consistently stood for what is right, he has displayed the backbone and the resolve that is needed to give voice to the British anti-war movement. Not only has Galloway risked his seat in Parliament by participating in numerous demonstrations and protests, but he in fact lost his position at one point, thankfully gaining it back next election due to the efforts of grassroots campaign workers. Yes, in the end the good guys prevailed. So why isn’t that happening here?

As far as I know, (and please do correct me if I’m wrong), to date, not a single member of Congress has dared to do anything so bold as to participate in an anti-war demonstration. Is it that their cozy offices and great perks are too good to risk for the cause? Let’s hope not. Still, there are other trends in British politics that would be very useful and applicable here in the US. Perhaps we could stand to learn a few things from our friends across the pond...

One aspect of British politics that would be particularly helpful if we were to adopt it is the weekly “Question Time” that Parliament gets with the Prime Minister. Once every Wednesday, for a half hour at noon, the British Prime Minister (in this case, Tony Blair) stands before Parliament and is asked anything and everything by the MP’s of the opposing parties. These discussions are often about very controversial issues, and regularly get quite heated, which just adds to the fun if you happen to be watching the webcast on the BBC. :) Imagine if we were able to question Bush on national TV, once a week, every week, UNSCRIPTED. Not only would hilarity ensue, due to his “non-mastery” of the English language, but we would be able to show more people just how utterly ignorant this man really is.

Another coveted aspect of not only British politics, but Parliamentary systems in general, is the ability of MP’s to create “Motions of No Confidence”. Once a Motion of No Confidence has been established, Parliament holds a “Confidence Vote”, which basically means that they vote on whether or not the current administration is competent enough to continue in office. If a vote of “No Confidence” is indeed established, the Prime Minister must either A) Resign on the spot, or B) Seek a dissolution of Parliament and call general Elections. If we were able to put practices like that into action here, we would no doubt have old Dubya hightailing it out of Washington in no time, and what a glorious occasion that would be.

Having covered the positive ends of adopting such British political practices, I feel compelled to acknowledge that all that glitters is not gold. There are some aspects of the British system which could prove downright catastrophic if implemented here in the US.

For example, the British Prime Minister currently serves 5 year terms, but there is no limit to the number of terms that they can serve. (Remember Margaret Thatcher?) Imagine if Bush was allowed to serve as long as she did...Okay, don’t imagine that, I don’t want anyone to keel over! The thing is, PM’s are allowed to call elections whenever they please. Many will wait until their term is nearing its end, and then call elections once they have secured a substantially high approval rating, in order to ensure their reelection. Using this system, a leader could theoretically rig election cycles to keep them in office indefinitely. How scary would THAT be?

Nonetheless, I think that if we were to try just a few of the UK’s political practices, it would go a long way toward advancing progressive causes and ensuring that what’s left of the country isn’t run into the ground by elitist oil tycoons who have absolutely no business in attempting to govern the United States. Utopian? Maybe. But in my opinion there is nothing utopian about dreaming of an honest, accountable government. There, I said it. And I feel much, much better. :)


~LiberalFury