Detailed Design (UK Version)

To enable the significant shift in Government capability that Unified Democracy requires, two new branches of The Executive would be introduced (shown above in Green):

– The UK Fiscal Office – led by The Chancellor. This would be a slimline office resourced professionally to provide a much higher level of expertise in Fiscal Policy (essentially Budgetary Control, Taxation & National Debt Management).

– The UK Development Authority – led by The Prime Minister. This would house the Sector Management Groups (as previously described) – each led by his/her appointed Cabinet Minister.

The purpose of the UK Development Authority, together with its resourcing and impacts on the Executive, are described below.

The UK Development Authority

Under Unified Democracy, this new branch of The Executive would form the strategically-continuous center of UK policy formation and of the associated planning and monitoring of the performance of UK infrastructures and public services.  It would come under the Budgetary Control of the New Fiscal Office and be supported by the Cabinet Office in its resourcing and cross-sector coordination.

Its main purpose would be draft Bills and White Papers to meet requirements established by the Executive for each Parliamentary Agenda. These are then debated in both Houses of Parliament and Bills voted on in The Commons to form legislation much as today, (although all votes now “Free”, with no requirement for an overall-majority).

The UK-DA would report to the Prime Minister– via individual Ministers. Whilst, those Ministers would themselves require its ongoing confidence and support to provide the necessary checks & balances and public accountability. So that, ultimately, the UK-DA would be empowered to trigger replacement of any individual in the Executive should it regard it necessary in the national interest.

The UK-DA would house Politicians and Sector Representatives working together in teams called “Sector Management Groups”.  The Role of Politicians is as already described under “Roles” – Thos of Sector Representatives and Sector Management Groups described below.

Sector Representatives

These individuals would be policy specialists seconded to the UK-DA by the UK’s various representative, advisory and regulatory bodies. There are proposed to be 220 (an average of 20 for each of 13 Sectors, but excluding Sectors 1 and 2 (related to the Home Office & Foreign Office) which are purely political). These being:

(1) Citizenship & Immigration (2) Foreign & EU Affairs (3) Police, Justice & Prisons (4) Business, Hospitality & Tourism (5) Jobs, Pensions, Social Security (6) Housing, Building & Local Government Coordination (7) Ecology, Food, Water, Rivers, Coasts (8) Health & Social Care (9) Education (10) Energy Infrastructure (11) Transport (12) Technology, Communications, Media, Culture & Sport (13) Defence (under special security).

Sector Representatives are paid by their employers to drive-up the knowledge and know-how of Government in their particular sector, so as to maximise its performance and of its individual enterprises.

To ensure strategic continuity of policy, Sector Representatives would be deployed every 4 years, but offset 2 years from Politicians.  Enabling each Administration to carry-forward Government know-how to the next – obviating the waste and disruption caused by sudden political shifts.

Sector Management Groups

Within a Unified Democracy, these Groups form the heart of Democratic Policy Formation.

Each SMG would be led by the related Minister (as appointed by the Prime Minister), Groups 1 and 2 consisting of Politicians only, (being purely of a political nature), the remaining 11 consisting of an equal number of Politicians and Sector Representatives with equal influence. They would operate under the budgetary management of a new Fiscal Office (Lead by The Chancellor) and supported and coordinated by the Cabinet Office.

The purpose of SMGs would be fourfold.

1 – To debate and draft policy to best deliver Bill Requirements specified by The Cabinet in accordance with its Parliamentary Agenda- these drafts then being relayed for further debate and voting by both Houses of Parliament – ultimately to form Legislation (following any requested reworks).

2 – To oversee the ongoing performance of their sectors (Healthcare etc) – ensuring timely remedial actions are taken as and when necessary (and also to inform ongoing policy).

3 – To Lead the related Government Department from a policy perspective.

4 – To form a point of accessible public accountability – facilitating input from Sector Professionals and Lobby Groups. Also, from Citizens (mainly by encouraging Local Authorities to form Citizen Assemblies).

The size of individual SMGs would be dynamic – set in accordance with the Cabinet’s Parliamentary Agenda. Politicians assigned as proportionately as possible across them in respect of their Party’s manifesto proposals and Popular Vote.

This assignment would be performed by Party Leaders, in liaison with the Cabinet Office, to ensure their optimum democratic assignment. The Cabinet Office would also be responsible for arranging the resourcing of the Sector Representatives.

Impacts on the Executive

As described above, The Executive would be extended by the addition of two new entities, a new, professionally-informed Fiscal Office and the UK Development Authority. The role of the Cabinet Office would be broadly similar to that of today, but refocussed mainly on supporting the resourcing and policy-coordination needs of the new Development Authority.

Under the principles of Unified Democracy, the role of the Cabinet would change dramatically – no longer with the mandate to drive policy top-down (except in times of National Emergency) , but rather to oversee and coordinate the efficient running of government.

This reformed Cabinet role would consist mainly of establishing each Parliamentary Agenda (the subject of the “King’s Speech”), and in specifying the need for Bills, and their individual requirements, to support its timely and effective delivery.

These requirements effectively forming the basis for the Development Authority to debate and Draft Bills on its behalf, and for subsequent debate by our elected MPs in the House of Commons for forming legislation.