Making Politics Our Tool to Solve Problems – Not Create Them
1. What Is Unified Democracy?
Unified Democracy is a 21st-Century capable political system specifically designed for today’s multi-party democracies. To drive strategic continuity, informed policy, national unity and economic growth – by establishing clear strategic goals and forming policy by competitive, electorally-proportionate debate on a coordinated Sector-By-Sector basis. With elected MPs working alongside real-world experts – rather than in constant power-squabbling.
Perhaps even more importantly, Unified Democracy is a Sector-Based system specifically designed to promote direct peer-to-peer cooperation on shared global issues – such as for Pandemics and Climate Change – in which assigned Sector Experts have equal influence to elected Politicians.
2. Unified Democracy – Common 3-Tier Structure
Within the Federation, Elections are of two types – Federal Elections (for the Westminster Executive) and State Elections (independently by each State). These are both held at variable intervals – as previously described (Page 2).
Policy established at the Federation Level is the business of the UK as a whole – defining the framework within which State-Level Policy must be formed. Policy established at the State Level is the business of that State only – as supported by its own MPs and Legislature. In both cases, policy formation is carried out within a Common 3-Tier Structure.
2.1 Tier1: The Executive
The Executive is headed by a Single Party Cabinet – formed by the Party winning most votes. At the Federal Level the leader of that Party is called “The Prime Minister” – who appoints MPs to become “Ministers” that manage policy for each Sector (and others as necessary). At the State Level the leader of that Party is called “The First Minister” – who appoints MPs to becomes “Secretaries” that similarly manage policy for each Sector.
The primary purpose of the Executive is not to drive top-down policy (outside of national emergencies), but to set the Policy Goals that people had voted for (proportionately across Parties). Then to set the Parliamentary Agenda accordingly and to manage Cross-Sector Coordination, Budgets, Parliamentary Resources and the overall efficient running of government.
2.2 Tier 2 – The Policy Council
This second tier of government runs strategically-continuously across Administrations and has three primary purposes:
- The Service the Policy Goals set by The Executive within its defined Parliamentary Agenda. Producing Policy proposals (usually in the form of Draft Bills) for further debate by The Legislature in forming Law.
- To form centres of public accountability for each Economic Sector. For example – for Healthcare National Policy at the Federal Level – and for Healthcare Delivery at the State Level.
- To manage Government Departments in the most effective way from a policy perspective.
The Policy Council consists of a coordinated and budgetary-controlled structure of teams called “Sector Management Groups”. Each SMG consists of an equal number of MPs (assigned electorally-proportionately) and assigned Sector Representatives (real-world policy experts). For example, a Sector managed at the Federal Level would be for “Healthcare Standards”, at the State Level it would be for “Healthcare Delivery”.
Sector Representatives are not elected – but assigned by the Advisory, Representative and Regulatory Bodies related to each Sector (for example NICE in the case of the Healthcare SMG). They are assigned by a branch of the Executive called “The Cabinet Office” in accordance with each Parliamentary Agenda. They are not funded by taxpayers (other than for resonable expenses), but on secondment from their employing organisations.
Each SMG consists of a permanent assignment of at least 5 people. An SMG Chair (an MP appointed by the related Minister) – A Deputy Chair (an MP appointed by the Leader of the Runner-Up Party), two Sector Representatives (appointed by The Executive) and at least one supporting civil servant.
The resourcing of SMGs is then flexed in accordance with the workload of each Parliamentary Agenda – MPs assigned to SMGs by their Party Leader, in collaboration with the Executive. The aim is to ensure a balanced, electorally proportional assignment -starting with smaller Parties –enabling them to target those sectors where they feel their proposals would be most beneficial.
Cross-Sector Policy Coordination is managed by the Cabinet Office (a Branch of the Executive), -very much as it is today within Westminster.
Budgetary Control – both within and cross Sectors, is managed by a Fiscal Policy SMG – under a Chair appointed by The Chancellor.
Strategic Continuity is achieved by the offset deployment of MPs and Sector Representatives – each of these groups passing know-how and work-in-progress information to the next.
2.3 Tier 3 – The Legislature
This third tier of government consists mainly of elected MPs. Its main purpose is to inform the Policy Council of the views and needs of Constituents and to debate its Draft Bills, request reworks as necessary and vote on them in the Lobbies towards forming Law. It is comprised of:
- State Level, one MP for each Constituency – elected by its highest vote (an average of 90 MPs per State – 632 MPs across all States).
- Federal Level (The Commons in the UK), 294 State-elected Federal MPs (an average of 42 representing each of the 7 UK States).
3. Policy Formation – Federal Level
Federal Monetary & Coinage Policy is managed by an Independent Central Bank and an Independent Justice System comes under the ultimate remit of a single Federal Supreme Court. Within this, a UK structure of 12 Sector Management Groups is proposed (subject to further consultation):
(1) Citizenship & Immigration, (2) Foreign Affairs, (3) Fiscal Policy (Non-Personal Taxation & Budgetary Control) (4) Justice & Prison Infrastructure, (5) Agriculture, Water, Rivers & Coasts Policies & Planning, (6) Healthcare & Food Standards, (7) Socialcare Standards, (8) Education Standards, (9) Energy Infrastructure, (10) Transport Infrastructure, (11) Technology Standards & Infrastructure, (12) Defence.
Policy Proposed by the SMGs (usually in the form of Draft Bills) is debated in the Federal Legislature (294 Federal MPs in the House of Commons). Reworks are requested as necessary, then voted for in the Lobbies to form Draft Law – passed on a “Yes” FMP majority.
The provisionally-approved Federal Draft Bills are then further debated in the Legislature of each individual State – and in turn voted for in the State Voting Lobbies. The number of “Yes” and No” MP votes is then added-up across the UK Federation as a whole, and passed on a “Yes” majority.
4. Policy Formation – State Level
Policy formation at the State Level is the business only of that State, and is formed in the same way as described above for the Federal level – although its formation must always come within the Federal Legislative framework.
A structure of 12 Sector Management Groups is proposed:
(1) State Civil Law, Justice & Prisons (2) Fiscal Policy (Hybrid Income Tax, other Personal Taxes & Budgetary Control) (3) National Insurance (4) Police and Fire Brigades, (5) Business & Tourism (6) Agriculture, Water, Rivers & Coasts Management, (7) Education Delivery (8) Healthcare Delivery, (9) Socialcare Delivery & Pensions, (10) Welfare & Benefits (State Citizens / State Non-Citizens) (11) State Transport (12) Technology & Communications.
Policy Proposed by the SMGs (usual as Draft Bills) are then debated in the State Legislature (on average by 90 MPs). Reworks are requested as necessary, then voted for in the Lobbies towards forming State Law – passed on a “Yes” majority.
