Democracy – The long and often bloody fight for freedom – The Tolpuddle Martyrs

Posted on by Opher

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In 19th century Britain it was illegal to organise in order to gain better working conditions and pay. In the 1830s the industrial revolution had created a surplus of workers which had resulted to wages being lowered to starvation level.
In Tolpuddle, a small village in Dorset, a group of farm labourers formed a collective to argue for fair pay. They refused to work for the reduced rates.
Six of them were arrested and charged with organising. They were sentenced to seven years deportation to Australia.
There was a public outcry, a petition signed by 800,000 and a march on London.
It was the first successful protest.
The sentences were commuted. All but one (with a previous criminal record) were released.

It is right to remember that our rights and freedoms come at a price. Our unions had to be fought for. The establishment gives neither wealth nor power freely and just as readily takes it back given a chance.

Democracy – The long and often bloody fight for freedom – The Magna Carta

Posted on by Opher

The importance of the Magna Carta lives not so much in it’s content as its symbolic significance.

It was the result of having a weak King and strong Barons and did not really impinge upon common people. Yet its power lay in establishing the rule of law and that all people, including the King were subject to it.

This has powerful resonance. For while it was only devised in order to prevent the King exercising his whim to arbitrarily punish whom-so-ever he chose it ended by providing a philosophical premise that all men were equal under the law.

That was a dangerous idea. The idea of equality was out of the bottle and free to impregnate the minds of men with its liberating venom.

Be in no doubt – the ruling classes and wealthy land-owners did not like the idea of ordinary people having any say in how things were run. They still don’t. If common folk felt they were important before long they would start wanting a fair share of the wealth.

The establishment wanted to control what was going on.

Perhaps the Tories should only ever be elected if they gain 40% of all the votes of the eligible electorate?

Posted on by Opher

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Following on from the Tory idea to shackle unions by making it illegal to strike without at least 40% of all the available workers in support of the action – when was the last time a government had 40% of the electorate voting in support of them?

A lot of ballots do not even get 40% of the people to vote – let alone for a particular party.

A representative vote is what democracy is about. To win by one vote is sufficient. If they want to change the rules then change it for national elections too. If a party cannot muster 40% of the electorate it should not be allowed to govern. Fair’s fair. This government did not win the last election. They had no mandate from the electorate yet they have forced through their cuts and austerity programme.

Obviously democracy and Tories do not go together!

The Tories are looking at the traditional apathy and distrust of the electoral system in order to force through their huge cuts and further austerity – a programme that has blatantly failed!

There is another way!!