Time for Electoral Reform

With the UK economy struggling, much of Europe too and few answers from the politicians then electoral reform becomes more important. If the system is failing to provide answers then the system needs changing.

Or at least the pace of reform improved.

There are simple measures already underway:

* UK votes at 16 - following the Scottish referendum decision to allow 16 year old to vote in 2014. time for a global vote at 16 with Brazil and Austria leading the way already.

* World Parliament: a democratic assembly for the UN. Mired in delay with the EU and the UN itself agreeing that democracy is required amongst the unelected ministers and bureaucrat of the UN. Time for national elections to be held.

* 30% minimum election turnout or elections rerun. With the national party's' membership less than 1% and lower than the RSPB, we have representative democracy that's unrepresentative. And State funding of parties on the quiet. Rerunning elections would require better policies.

* Manifesto's published 6 months before elections and compulsory FOI. The charade of voting for a manifesto produced a fortnight before an election and no FOI at all. What are we voting for? As with UKIP we just don't know. Worryingly, neither do they. Elected in order to be elected in order to do nothing.

* Recall of MP's and Referenda and hereditary Lords: still not resolved in an Empty Parliament.

* Political exams: exams to raise the calibre of candidates. A UK first.

* IMF/World Bank/UNDP merger and reform: duplication and unelected - and create Treasury powers to fund UNMDG

* UNMDG1 andUNMDG2 as national UK policy: a failing. Philippines does it.

* 30% minimum gender quotas for Parliament and business: less than 20% of women in parliament and 2% of FTSE Boards.

* A global currency: the IMF's SDR's already provide the mechanism along with improved EU-focused credit ratings agencies to balance and scrutinise the dollar and yuan. Just look at the LIBOR failings for more impartial currency polices.

* 10% interest rate cap: as in Germany. The obscenity of 30%-plus credit card rates and even worse the 4,000% payday loans. If the German economy can thrive with cheap credit then so should the UK.

* Public Health improvements with UK mortality rates upto double the average with simple reforms: plain cigarette packaging delayed but introduced in Australia and Eire and unit pricing on strong alcohol and regular knife and gun amnesty's. And pharma funding for cancer vaccines eg P53 and DNA sampling and Third World vaccines.

* An education dividend: free tablet PC for schoolkids. they do it in Thailand. 3D printing and Raspberry Pc's for schools - boosting the UK economy too.

* Asian exports for UK: the greatest economic change in history through China and South East Asia and the UK needs to capitalise on it.

* EU signatories to the new Arms Trade Treaty and arms exports ban - the taxpayer subsidising arms bloat and repression form Bahrain to Brunei.

While here in Kent we have the shoddy farce of Pleasurama and Manston-Infratil criminals and EKO and ChinaGate and 0% public sector frauds and corruption. And the Medway and Stour some of the UK's worst polluted rivers, the Dartford Crossing tarmac splurge on the rates, and water companies racking up dividends for pollution.

Kent in freefall in Year Zero, Ground Zero.

Time for reform.

Failed.Failed. Failed.

Time for Change.