4 Mlc Places Next Year

[Wake Up Call]

Forgive me if I have got this wrong, I believe that 4 positions on the LegCo are up next year. My understanding is that the usual process occurs where a well connected member of the public can find him or herself proposed and then elected by our politicians.

If there are 4 posts available, that is a significant portion of the voting strength of the Governement.

 

Geographically, this could mean that the the new MLCs are all residents in one area such as Douglas and this could create a regional bias on the Island.

 

In times gone by, we have witnessed individuals given positions of significant power who have not been elected by the public.

 

Would it be feasible to 'get in ahead of the game' and somehow demand our representatives to be open about who is nominated? Perhaps if your local MHK held a public meeting about who and why he or she was supporting and it could give some public backing to a candidate in this questionable process.

 

Any thoughts?

[Topaz]

Well, with it only being a year into the current term it is unlikely that four MHKS are going to want to move up. We had several forum members standing for election to the House of Keys last year.

 

Personally, I want to see MLCs elected by the public. That isn't going to happen yet so perhaps we compromise.

 

How about a forum election? if we could persuade one of the candidates for the general election to offer themselves as a forum sacrifice to the Legislative Council, then we would at least have some input from the electorate.

 

The idea that if the public didn't want them at the general election ,then why should they be good enough now, overlooks the fact that some of these candidates might have got in had they been standing in a different constituency. A lot of these long serving MHKs are hard to shift even when they are crap.

 

The Steam Packet petition by Amadeus has proved that the Forum does have an effect. If we had a candidate and all those interested advised their own MHK/s as to where they would wish him/her to put their vote......

 

Just a thought.

[TerryMcCann]

Vote me.

 

I'll be out of work come the new year so could do with something to tide me over.

 

I am also quite open to brown envelopes stuffed full of cash.

 

My election slogan....Show Me The money

[Topaz]

If he was willing, I would nominate Amadeus. (Under his actual name of course).For a forum election, then we need a seconder from the forum. The same for any other willing candidate. When we hear what he or they have to say, then we vote. When we have our elected candidate,all we have to do is find two MHKs to nominate and second our candidate.........at least I think that's it.

 

Would like to know if I am wrong, or if there is some regulation I don't know about.

[bluemonday]

If he was willing, I would nominate Amadeus. (Under his actual name of course).For a forum election, then we need a seconder from the forum.

Seconded.

[Tempus Fugit]

if the last fiasco is anything to go by it could take 32 elections to fill 4 seats

[Topaz]

That's why I think if we could pull this off it would mean that for the first time there would be at least one candidate going forward with a mandate from a percentage of the public even though he or she had not been an MHK.

 

Most of the current serving MHKs got in with less votes than the Number of signatures on the Steam Packet petition.

 

We would not be voting in a constituency but all Island. I suppose the voting would have to be along the lines of the way the petition was conducted. However there are much better brains than mine on here, well able to carry the idea forward if it was to take hold.

 

I like the idea of 'taking the initiative' and I think it would be the first time it has been done. The candidate need not be reliant on just forum votes neccessarily, canvasing for signatures could be a possibility.

[Stavros]

Amadeus is German though!

 

Is this a secret way to win the war after all?

 

Stav.

[Topaz]

Yes, but that makes it so much easier Stav. All Amadeus has to do is walk into the legislative Council Chamber and put his towel over Eddie Loweys' chair.

[Grianane]

I thought Amadeus was a failed keys candidate - surely proposing someone who has already been rejected is more wrong that putting someone forward whose popularity has never been tested at the polls - thinks that may also apply to some existing sitting MLC's.

[Lonan3]

I thought Amadeus was a failed keys candidate - surely proposing someone who has already been rejected is more wrong that putting someone forward whose popularity has never been tested at the polls - thinks that may also apply to some existing sitting MLC's.

CHRISTIAN, Clare Margaret BSc MLC

 

MHK (Ayre) March 1980-86 (Ind); contested Ayre unsuccessfully 1986 (Ind).

MLC 1993-date (2003).

[Topaz]

I think there is a difference between being rejected and being unsuccessful. However the point I am making is if a candidate for the Legislative Council was able to come forward with a mandate from the public, then as long as they had a respectable number of votes they would not have been 'rejected'. Some MHKs have not made it into the keys first time, and some have lost and regained their seats. Noel Cringle, now President of Tynwald lost his seat in Rushen and later regained it. I have a feeling that Peter Karran did not get in first time....could be wrong.

[Stavros]

To be honest and with all due respect to Amadeus, whislt being German, I have met him several times. He doesn't know it because I've never told him who I was He is a very nice bloke and would probably be a benefit to the island. I mock him in jest only and I'm pretty sure he knows that.

 

I think the earlier comment of failed is wrong and as Topaz explained, the difference between failed as opposed to unsuccessful is quite different. Should Amadeus try again then good luck to him and lets hope he's successful. If it weren't for the grim determination of the Germans, we wouldn't have any BMW's that work properly (Sorry, took another sideswipe again!)

 

Back to the point, I think it's a good idea and for a prospective MLC to turn up with a few thousand signatures of support wouldn't be a bad start. At least it might have a bigger impact on the internal votes than Mr Spewing Brownenvelopes has.

 

Stav.

[Declan]

I thought Amadeus was a failed keys candidate - surely proposing someone who has already been rejected is more wrong that putting someone forward whose popularity has never been tested at the polls - thinks that may also apply to some existing sitting MLC's.

CHRISTIAN, Clare Margaret BSc MLC

 

MHK (Ayre) March 1980-86 (Ind); contested Ayre unsuccessfully 1986 (Ind).

MLC 1993-date (2003).

 

If I remember correctly, Ayre went from two seats to one in that election and two sitting members found themselves competing for one seat and the election to the Legco was seven years and another election later. That is very different from elevating someone who stood a year ago and was beaten by a fair margin. We'd all kick off if they latched onto, say, Phil Kermode, I think we'd be hypocritical to propose Amadeus just because we might like him.

 

I propose John Wright.

[Pat Ayres]

I happen to know that Leonard Singer has his beady eye on one of those seats. If he doesn't get one he's trying to get onto Ramsey commissioners. Allegedly.