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What do we think of the recommendations from Baroness Helena Kennedy’s Power Inquiry, on challenging the low turnout among Britain’s young electorate?

I agree with David Aaronovitch, who disagrees with the reports finding but does support the recommendations. I haven’t the time or inclination to get bogged down with how the inquiry reached its conclusions, but I would like to express my own thoughts.

Firstly on the point of voting at 16, I see no major reason why a 16-year-old cannot vote. Those with opinions will utilise this right, yet I feel the majority, who couldn’t care less, will not. Counterproductively this will probably send the proportion of the non-voting electorate up, not down.

The restriction on donations would protect the democratic process, why should the rich have a disproportionate ‘voice’ in the argument leading up to an election? Yes they contribute more to the country in terms of taxation, but equal funding would help ensure the best argument wins the day. Lobbying is a cancer on the capitalist system, not a virtue.

I also like the idea of public petitions (signed by a minimum of 400,000 people) forcing a debate in parliament. MP’s argue that they don’t have enough time for their own bills to be debated, but my retort is that they have created 700 new criminal offences since 1997, so evidently they spend far too much time ‘lawmaking.’ They should do as we instruct, not debating their own pet-projects.

Parliament is important as it’s in control of billions of pounds that we, as the taxpayers, have laboured for. Parliament is also important as a means to keep almost 500 busybodies out of industry, but that’s another story. Parliament should therefore, be supremely accountable to us, and if we the people want ministers to do monkey flips while we sit around laughing, then it’s tough shit. Good idea Helena, I look forward to abusing the system.

I actually have my own recommendation. I believe that all public institutions should be democratic. Schools should not only have elected governors, but also democratically elected student representation, with real power. How can we expect kids to embrace democracy at eighteen when all they have known is an undemocratic autocracy?

Waste, sanitation, the police force; all should be democratically accountable, not following central diktat from Whitehall. Lawmakers should make the law not dictate implementation. The ministerial record on delivering progress is evidence enough, that our politicians couldn’t manage a towel draw, never mind a budget in the billions.

Only localism and regional representation will solve the disengagement of the masses from the self-important nonsense of Westminster. It’s hard to reconcile Blair’s tenure with devolution of power, but at least they tried with the regional assemblies. This was of course in truth, a watered down, almost powerless façade. What we need is real regional federalism, with London based government dismantled to all but defence of the realm and international diplomacy. The executive power of the PM (easily the most constitutionally powerful democratic public office in the world, bar non) must be tempered by powerful, locally accountable, regional political institutions.

Only then can we give power back to the people.