tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post2392655991116749284..comments2024-03-20T07:12:19.838+00:00Comments on A VIEW FROM HAM COMMON: A reply to a couple of comments on my New Statesman piece from earlier.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-82228413947833962282011-11-16T19:00:42.567+00:002011-11-16T19:00:42.567+00:00Thanks Jacob, and no worries on coming back - I li...Thanks Jacob, and no worries on coming back - I like a healthy debate.<br /><br />I suppose the main difference between us is your question as to when and who decides an election is necessary. It seems clear to me that unelected officials in Europe have decided on this occasion an election is unnecessary. It is interesting that the ECB spent twice as much on Italian Bonds two weeks ago than last week, when Italian bonds was under far more serious assault from the markets. If their intention was to save Berlusconi, the opposite would be true. it seems that someone decided that he should go, and the markets should be allowed to do their worst.<br /><br />I am finding it amusing that similar articles to my own are being written over and over again in both the Guardian and The Telegraph - not normally happy bedfellows. What a strange turn of events!Richard Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03546947405923306990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-14683057145880382012011-11-16T18:47:35.313+00:002011-11-16T18:47:35.313+00:00Argh, that was supposed to read: "As to if th...Argh, that was supposed to read: "As to if this means there's a democratic deficit, then I'd disagree."<br /><br />Pretty important distinction. :)Jacob Lesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8221901955641373488.post-60358077340741557792011-11-16T18:45:19.576+00:002011-11-16T18:45:19.576+00:00A tip of my hat to you, Richard, for responding to...A tip of my hat to you, Richard, for responding to the commenters.<br /><br />As to the necessity of elections with a PM change, especially in circumstances such as this, I do believe Van Rompuy is right. The crisis is happening right now and it requires action right now. Elections will take months to prepare and carry out, and will cause confusion and loss of confidence, which will only exacerbate the crisis. There's a time to be pragmatic, and there's a time to be idealistic. Presently I believe the former to be sensible, due to the grave and immediate nature of the crisis. Elections will certainly come afterwards, when the worst is over, and the electorate will have a change to judge the measures carried out.<br /><br />As to the practicalities of elections when a PM changes, how would that happen? What institution is to say when the circumstances are so that an election is required if a change of government is to happen? What will the criteria be? Who will head this institution that will make the decision of an election being necessary?<br /><br />And what would this mean for political life? Will parliamentarians constantly have to be anxious that whatever new policy is carried out will warrant an election? It would create a lot of uncertainty in the system.<br /><br />As to if this means there's a democratic deficit, then I'd agree. Elections will be held sooner or later, politicians will be accountable and the electorate will get a say. The fact that they don't get a say all the time is not undemocratic, it is merely a feature of representative democracy, which has to find a compromise between direct democracy and pragmatism in the form of representation, in order to provide a functional political system.Jacob Lesternoreply@blogger.com