The Workers Party of Britain is not a liberal party obsessed with constitutional tinkering and process. What matters most to us are an end to labour exploitation, adequate social infrastructure, social ownership and wealth redistribution.
However, there is a democratic deficit in our country and not only in ours – nearly all the capitalist democracies of the West are a con job in which populations get one chance every few years to choose between professional politicians who have more in common with each other than they do with us. Some reform is necessary.
First, we will back proportional representation but only if it can be structured to ensure that political parties cannot ‘fix’ their lists under the control of their own elites.
Second, as a necessary corollary of PR, we will introduce a new Act regulating political parties to ensure no foreign influence, stronger internal democracy, higher penalties for corruption and easier recall arrangements.
Third, we will reform the House of Lords to exclude professional politicians who have made a career in the Commons and we will introduce more regional, trades union and technical expert voices able to scrutinise legislation swiftly and knowledgeably who are wholly unconnected to the Executive.
Fourth, we will explore measures to increase working class representation not only through the Workers Party of Britain but through increased political education initiatives directed at working class communities encouraging wider community participation enabled by social incentives such as adequate child care and earnings support.
We are committed to an independent but also a wholly de-politicised judiciary and to the democratisation of access to justice through a fully funded and independent national legal support service for working households in their disputes with service providers and in dealing with anti-social behaviour. We want to see more magistrates of working class origin.
Every measure we propose, support or enact will be directed at increasing the democratic participation and consent of the working class but we are mindful that most people are too busy to involve themselves in politics and that there is nothing wrong with putting family and working life first. The emphasis must be on responsive and accountable representatives who are capable, committed and not opportunists or careerists and who can be recalled if they fail in their task.
Julie Lowe 