In the true meaning of the word, they are incompetent: they lack the authority of the people to act on our behalf. The system by which they are elected can give no information on the “will of the people” on the hundreds of policies they put in their manifestos and for which, if elected, they will claim our comprehensive “mandates”. We, the people, in the developed, wealthy and educated democracies, are denied our say on those policies for which our taxes are taken and on which they are spent: the politicians are not answerable for what they do and our only sanction is to remove one and put another, with yet another bundle of policies, in their place.

THIS INITIATIVE IS NOT ABOUT POLICIES.

Nor is it about exerting pressure for some vested interest and to work some change for some cause no matter how laudable and how pressing the needs of the oppressed and the disadvantaged may be.

It is about CHOICE and ACCOUNTABILITY: about the meaning of a Parliamentary representative democracy. It is right that politicians should propose the policies: it is not right that they claim our mandate when they haven’t got it. It is not right that people have to band together in order simply to be heard when we have an absolute right to representation. This initiative is taken from the standpoint of the small boy in the crowd who observed that the Emperor was not clothed. Politicians have presumed upon the people for too long: we must now make them answerable to us. We have the power so to do - and it will improve their status.