Robert Saunders and Mete Coban - Evidence in Review

On 5 July the Commission welcomed Dr Robert Saunders, Reader in Modern History at Queen Mary University of London, and Mete Coban, Councillor for Stoke Newington and founder of My Life My Say, to discuss executive power and help inform its next paper.

Robert Saunders

Robert Saunders opened the session by sharing his view that as a country we have stopped looking at our constitution, which is “the house in which our democracy lives.” The British constitution is not a set of documents but an eco-system.

The Commissioners all agreed that stable democracy is not the normal state of humanity, it is fragile and so needs to be nurtured and protected.

It was recognised that it seems we have indulged lying but this is in fact an offence against democracy.

Whilst the UK has always tended to prefer to have a strong executive due to the history of how our democracy has developed, the present government is focused on ending all restraints. This is being achieved by a push to take power out of parliament altogether and includes an industrial-scale use of statutory instruments and Henry VIII clauses, often on significant legislation.

Whilst power has been concentrated in the executive, the Commission heard that this power has also moved from the cabinet to the office of the prime minister. There is a radically shrinking range of voices with influence, compounding the quasi-presidential status of the prime minister but with none of the safeguards that accompany presidential systems. There has been a fundamental transfer of law-making power from parliament and cabinet to the office of the prime minister. The government seems to have lost all sense of self-restraint and is happy to use every power to its limit.

The executive has been insulating itself from challenge and shutting parliament out of decision making - evident in the covid regulations made by executive order and much of the Brexit-related legislation.

The opposition is a fundamental part of our decision-making process and provides challenge, balance and a different view.  It is therefore important that parliament is a democratic arena and not just a power source for the leading party to rubber stamp whatever the prime minister wants to do.

The Commission heard that we must ultimately rebuild a culture of constitutionalism and remake the case for parliamentary democracy.

A discussion took place around the need to advocate incremental change to do something now to constrain power. The more radical solutions, such as electoral reform, face a significant legitimacy problem without a second standalone referendum.

Select committees were recognised as a strength in recent constitutional developments, and the committee system was identified as something which could give greater autonomy and authority to parliament. It was noted that the Brexit select committee was abolished by the executive and one recommendation would be that committees should be established and overseen by parliament.

A suggestion posited by Commissioners was that the appointment of secretaries of state might be confirmed by parliamentary committees and their qualifications scrutinised prior to confirmation. It was noted that often ministers have no knowledge of the departments and issues they are appointed to oversee and that an initial period of training, perhaps through a transition period following an election similar to that imposed in the United States, might provide for a bedding in.

There is a temptation to always look for technocratic solutions to cultural problems, but the Commission considered the historic sense of fragility of our democracy that has been lost, and the reform which could encourage its revival. One example could be the call to establish the Ministerial Code on statutory footing.

The Commission shared the view that incremental change could have a positive effect on encouraging more people to think about the constitution, and agreed that parliamentarism is the ultimate safeguard.

Mete Coban

Mete Coban started by telling the Commission of his work as founder of My Life My Say, an inspiring organisation trying to mobilise and engage young people in politics. Understanding that young people are not one homogenous bloc, the organisation seeks out different youth groups and attempts to understand how best to engage with them.

The Commission heard that young people do not see politics as useful to solving their issues and a Youth Index survey found that 53 percent do not trust the government. It also found that 63 percent of young people see society as corrupt. It considered that whilst young people are very political, demonstrated by the Black Lives Matter movement and the growth of conscious consumerism, they do not find traditional forms of politics relevant to them.

In creating unique spaces for young people to convene to discuss politics, such as ‘politics over coffee’, My Life My Say hopes to identify where young people operate and bring politics to those spaces. A squad programme trains young people across the country around public speaking and community organising. It is also currently responsible for 56,000 young people registering to vote.

The Commission heard that a package of reforms could be undertaken to help engage young people and create a more democratic culture. Political literacy and voter registration were recognised as two leading areas for improvement. It was discussed that it perhaps suits some political elites for certain parts of the population to be apathetic. It was agreed that the new legislation requiring photo-ID would inhibit many young people from voting.

It was discussed that at present, the two biggest divides in our society are geographical and generational. In cities like London, where over 60 percent of the population spends more than half of their income on rent, young people often follow the system but do not get rewarded for it. It is this which has driven much of young people’s indifference to traditional forms of politics.

Ideas were discussed to have a more participatory democracy on significant local politics, such as decisions to create low traffic neighbourhoods. It was also agreed that it is vital when you go to unengaged people and gain their interest, you have to follow through with tangible change, or it can fuel greater apathy. Ultimately, the Commission agreed that deep changes are required to create a more vibrant democratic culture amongst the young, but that small improvements could be made to help achieve this.