A referendum that needs to be lost
Bubble — By Dominic Hannigan on August 28, 2010 7:00 am
The exception that proves the rule: Hangus the Monkey, the effective mayor
POLITICAL IDEAS and campaigns come and go. Some come to pass; others fade as quickly as a Welsh summer. Since the General Election, it has become clear that there is a plan – possibly well developed – to trigger a referendum for a directly elected mayor for our capital. I am in little doubt that the mayoral campaigners will succeed in triggering the referendum. I am also convinced it is a terrible idea, and one which will ultimately be rejected by the great people of the city I call home.
A host of online activists and even an anonymous Twitter account are paving the way for the signature collection process. That will not be a small feat as the original legislation set a high threshold to call a mayoral election. But if you have the manpower and resources, it is possible to collect a petition on just about anything. After all, the unsuccessful Ceredigion mayoral referendum managed to win less yes votes than it gained signatories on the petition to call it in the first place.
The Lib Dems and Plaid are philosophically opposed to the proposal while Labour are so far fairly silent. Their frustrations at having gone from majority control of the Council to a measly 13 seats in two elections must make a change in system tempting. But internally Cardiff Labour were left just as burnt and frustrated by the “age of Goodway” as the people of the city. Therefore, most of the political momentum behind this campaign has come from the Tories, and Jonathan Morgan in particular, as we saw on this site yesterday.
Jonathan, a politician I normally find myself agreeing with on most issues, seems to think that this campaign should be based on unbecoming, negative and personal attacks on the council leader, rather than any positive argument about what a directly elected mayor could do for Cardiff.
It is fair to consider the possibility that the reason that Jonathan might be so passionately entrenched in this is because he is keen to secure a shot at the job himself. This is perhaps little wonder after his Conservative constituency colleague came so close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in May’s election. Coupled with rumours that have begun to circulate that an old political foe may be lining herself up to enjoy one more battle with him, it is no surprise that he may be searching for a back-up plan.
It’s worth asking why those enthusiastically supporting this campaign don’t favour a directly-elected First Minister. The principles of their arguments would fit just as well. Maybe it’s because they don’t consider their own chances of winning such a post would be as strong.
Aside from the rough and tumble of political gossip, there is a very serious point to this. A directly elected mayor for Cardiff is neither what the city needs nor wants.
So far, the allegation that the mayor campaign have levelled at the Lib Dems is that we oppose this call purely for self interest. This is rubbish. We have never allowed self interest to get in the way of our desires for a change to the voting system for local government. It is clear that under a proportional system, we would have less council seats in Cardiff, and may well lose our position as the largest party on the council. Yet leading Cardiff Lib Dems have never dampened their calls for STV for local government, and you can bet your bottom dollar that this will feature in our Assembly manifesto next year. On top of this, we campaigned against a directly elected mayor in both Watford and Bedford, places which both now have Lib Dems in their town halls.
The reason we oppose this shabby system, like most people, is because it removes power from communities and coagulates it in the hands of one individual. Those cheerleading for the campaign sight democracy and leadership as the biggest reasons for their arguments. But, on both counts, they are found wanting.
I will pause for a moment to pre-empt the comments thread over the plans of the Coalition Government to force mayoral referendums on the largest English cities: Yep, you’re right. They’re rubbish as well……. nature of coalition government…….compromises….. we are free to campaign against, etc etc.
Democracy is better served through a representative, proportionally elected council with an executive system. An executive held to account through its councillors and committees. Democracy is not served well by an individual for whom local people have no power to question or see removed until their term is up.
Whatever you think of his achievements in his time as mayor, it was well documented that Ken Livingstone had nothing but contempt for the processes designed to hold him to account. His dismissive attitude to the GLA and the refusal to answer some serious allegations about goings on at city hall just went to show that no-one could force him to be held accountable.
The idea that a directly elected mayor somehow provides better leadership than a leader selected by the chamber is also wrong. The evidence thoroughly dismisses the idea that representative, parliamentary-style democracy cannot provide strong leadership. Churchill, Blair, Thatcher, Alex Salmond, Rhodri Morgan: these were leaders who were nothing if not strong, and yet they all came from parliamentary democracy style elections. In local government itself, who can forget the power and strength of David Blunkett during his time leading Sheffield Council, or indeed Ken Livingstone in his GLC days?
Strong leadership and good policy is improved by strong scrutiny, and only a leader and cabinet approach can allow this.
And for those places in the UK which have chosen to opt for directly elected mayors, there have been some good ones, but also some atrocious ones. Ironically, one of the best has been the independent football mascot in Hartlepool who has recently been re-elected for his third term.
Of course there will be good mayors like H’Angus the Monkey, but the biggest problem is that if they are bad – if they do turn the town or city or county into a train wreck – then there is absolutely nothing that local people can do about it until the term is up. There are no checks and balances and no ways to call time rapidly. The poor people of Stoke on Trent had to endure six years of disaster before getting so sick of their local “leadership” that they organised a successful counter-referendum. Last year, Doncaster elected a right wing, English Democrat mayor on a populist ticket. He has since discovered that it is far easier to make promises than to keep them. At one point a third of the authorities which had moved to the elected mayor model in England were seeking a second referendum to abandon the system.
I am a democrat, and I fully respect the right of people to call a referendum that is permissible under the laws and democratic framework of the country. That is the principle that makes me grudgingly accept the coalition policy for English cities. However, those who are associating themselves politically with this campaign should beware.
The previous leader of Cardiff Council was definitely “strong and powerful.” As a result, he became the highest paid councillor in the country. He also oversaw council tax rises that were big enough to bankrupt a small nation, along with some of the worst local services in Wales. The people of Cardiff have not forgotten that. They have been left with an instinctive distrust of politicians, and those who want to put more power and money in their hands.
As I said at the top of this article, I have little doubt that this referendum will be called. I look forward to joining democrats from across the political spectrum in campaigning against it. I hope that our first task will be to call for those who vociferously demand this expensive plebiscite to commit to meeting its cost in full if they lose by a very wide margin.
Tags: Cardiff, local government, mayor
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12 Comments
Think thorough the consequences of your last comment Dominic. There will be many people who would argue that both the referendum on AV and for more powers for the Assembly were a waste of money. If there was a free vote in the Commons there probably would not be a very expensive referendum on AV next year. We are having one not because of public demand but because of an old style political deal behind closed doors in a smoked filled room which created the UK coalition. On the basis of your argument in the last paragraph I assume that you will be arguing that the Liberal Democrats should pay the costs of the AV refendum if it is lost be a wide margin! At this rate you could even end up push many of us who might vote for AV into the no camp just to give the Liberal Democrats a ‘bloody nose’! After all it isn’t very proportional and the Aussie election results which the Liberal National Coalition won on first preferences shows what a mess AV can produce.
Some might also argue that the tone of the criticism of Jonathan Morgan’s idea for a referendum by some in the political establishment in Cardiff suggests that he might be on to something.
I forgot to add .Directly elected First Minister – great idea!
I worry about the concept of a directly elected Mayor for the same reasons that I don’t like the cabinet system at local government level, too much power in the hands of one person, replacing an executive of members elected by one where one person is elected and then appoints a host of people to positions of power. There is something undemocratic about the whole thing. I believe in leadership but leadership based on consensus. I’d rather bring ordinary councillors back into the decision making process. Far better for grass roots democracy then passing all power upwards to a single elected member.
The value of direct elections depends upon the question of whether you are a Democrat or not – the author’s answer is evidently “not”!
I say this reluctantly as someone who is a critical supporter of the current administration. What you have in Cardiff now is a “elected dictatorship” (Lord Hailsham’s description) that is at the moment unrepresentative of the people of Cardiff. How accountable is that?
Local communities are already losing out now (and they did under the old committee system that some seem to have a hankering for! some golden age, when?)
Under the present system you have a choice between a Goodway “Personal dictatorship” or a Berman “Junta”. Certainly a elected mayor can be scrutinised by a built in set of check and balances in the Cardiff constitution. I which implies a American (Montesquieu) type of check and balances, which sadly only can exist with a separation of powers which does not exist in the UK.
In answer to Gez from the previous post about how to get debate amongst the wider community (and as someone who had experience of this in the 1990s in Colorado with a voters initiative ballot) you have start at the persoal level by speaking amongst friends at the work place, then organise public mtings around the city. so instead of moaning about what you have to get to get a plebiscite, go out and find out what the folk know on you will lose to apathy and ignorance.
I am with Jeff (who has argued well and eloquently for this because he has been there and has the teeshirt! lol) about elected FM and Lyn about community Councils, both require the concept of federalism to form a true localism.
And change voting day to Saturday!
I agree with much of Dominic’s piece.
As for his observation that “Jonathan … seems to think that this campaign should be based on unbecoming, negative and personal attacks on the council leader” – well, Dominic would think that such criticisms were unbecoming, wouldn’t he?
I agree that “Strong leadership and good policy is improved by strong scrutiny” – but that doesn’t at all imply that “only a leader and cabinet approach can allow this”, as Dominic claims. Lyn’s correct to argue that, for greater democratic accountability, we should “bring ordinary councillors back into the decision making process”.
Too simplistic Robin, democracy is pluralistic, handing power to one individual isn’t my idea of democracy, more an elective dictatorship.
<i."… handing power to one individual …"?
In a democracy the electorate only make a loan of this authority, this power, it can always be taken away.
Not to try something different might be considered a crime whilst pursuing democracy, if it should fail the electorate will lose little in the grand scheme of things, a little time, a little money, a mere bagatelle.
Might the city state make a comeback, localism on a grand scale ?
I recall that Rodney Berman offered a solution in 2004 to the problem of a unrepresentative executive – it was to have a all party management board. Both Labour and Conservatives were opposed to it. Shame!
Personally if nothing happens one way or the other, then this will be forgotten in six months.
If there was the will I guess it would be quite easy to sack Rodney as leader. Not so easy if he was the Mayor.
I think Jonathan Morgan should declare one way or another if he wants to be Mayor otherwise how can we take him seriously when he suggests a mayorality for the good of Cardiff. A cynic might say his campaign is not without personal gain.
>The previous leader of Cardiff Council was definitely “strong and powerful.” As a result, he became the >highest paid councillor in the country. He also oversaw council tax rises that were big enough to bankrupt a >small nation, along with some of the worst local services in Wales. The people of Cardiff have not forgotten >that.
Dominic,
I was interested by your attack of Russell Goodway at the end of your article. I don’t wish to pass comment either way on your assessment of his performance but rather consider the issue of a Directly Elected Mayor. Cllr Goodway represents a safe Labour ward with a traditionally low turnout. As a result, to stay as leader of the council he required only a small number of people to elect him in his ward and for his party to remain the largest and its councillors to wish to keep him in place. The leader of a party is relatively rarely removed without an election defeat or some form of scandal.
Had Russell Goodway been a Directly Elected Mayor then the whole city could have made a judgement on his performance not simply a couple of thousand voters in Ely.
If one is to take your criticism of Cllr Goodway as an argument against such a person leading the council then with a Directly Elected Mayor it would be far easier to remove the person than the current system allows.
I ask the question. what debate? What Campaign? If Jonathan Morgan wanted to be Mayor, he should get the debate going.
When I have asked friends back home about both mayor and Jonathan Morgan, the first word that comes out on the former is “Goodway” and the latter ?.
Surely not a good omen. let me get this straight I do not support this idea because I think that Rodney Berman and his executive are terrible.
The fact that they have some real difficult problems to deal with (LDP and school reorganization) is not entirely their fault .
I find it attractive because you could elect a competent independent than under current system.
Removing a mayor would be simple with amendments to the Cardiff Constitution to make removal possible. Also give council committees powers of subpoena just like parliamentary committees.