"But the fact is, you can eat the fruits of democracy, because the greatest dividend of Democracy is Development.
Today, I shall address the two constant themes of my six years as Secretary-General.
They are the two themes that underpin everything we do in the Commonwealth.
They are:
· 'Democracy', and specifically the role of Parliaments;
· and 'Democracy' and its close cousin, 'Development'.
There are plenty of good news stories about democracy in the Commonwealth. They tend to get overlooked, because they do not make sensational stories for the media. We have just had peaceful changes of government in Jamaica and Sierra Leone, one smoother than the other, but in both the people spoke and their wishes were respected. Australia faces an election soon, as does Kenya.By and large, our Commonwealth remains a living example of democracy in both theory and practice.
We have the Commonwealth Declarations of 1971 and 1991 that set out our fundamental political values.
Our Latimer House Principles of 2003 define and differentiate the roles of the three branches of Government: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
The overthrow of a constitutionally elected government leads inevitably to a country being suspended.
But even if that happens, we never turn our backs: our aim is always to help it to repair the damage and return to the fold.
Parliaments are at the core of the practice of democracy.
All of you are a supremely important part of its machinery.
Parliaments represent the people.
They discuss.
They agree; they disagree.
They find consensus.
They deliver on behalf of people.
So if you're a Government that has marginalised Opposition parties and limited their capacity to do their rightful job, you will simply hand more power to groups outside of parliament, and that may cause you even greater problems." Don Mackinnon Last speech as the Secretary General of the commonwealth to the CPA
Hazel Blears calls for open selection
Hazel Blears joined Operation Black Vote in calling on the Labour Party NEC and Walthamstow Labour Branch to reopen its selection process. The choice of a women-only shortlist has alarmed all sections of the party reaching up to cabinet level, with Blears calling the decision ‘ill considered’.
There are currently 15 BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) MPs at Westminster, although a representative figure would be closer to 60. The vacancy created by Neil Gerrard standing down in Walthamstow is an opportunity to address Parliament’s Black democratic deficit.
Hazel Blears, alongside OBV and the Fawcettt Society have been advocates of women-only shortlists despite them not delivering for Black women in areas including West Ham, and Hornsey and Wood Green, but on this occasion believe that an open selection will deliver greater equality. OBV appeal to Michael Griffiths, NEC Chair and Peter Watt, the Labour General Secretary to seriously consider this situation.
OBV Director Simon Woolley said:
OBV supports the stance of Cabinet Minister and Chair of the Labour Party Hazel Blears in calling the shortlist ill considered. All women shortlists while addressing the gender gap have failed to deliver on race equality. Walthamstow is an opportunity to get this right, therefore we call for an open selection in a borough where almost 50% of inhabitants are BME.
Ashok Viswanathan OBV Deputy Director said:
There are several local BME candidates-men and women-that would be suitable for this seat. There are only two Black women in Westminster, they were both selected on open lists. Women only shortlists simply don’t work for Black women. The Labour Party need to be bold and courageous, open up the selection and give the opportunity to black male and female candidates.
Since 1997 the Labour Government has built over 1,100 new schools with 27,000 new or improved classrooms. But over the next three years we will accelerate the pace of investment with a £21 billion cash injection to build more 21st century schools.
We have also launched 'Time to Talk' - a national discussion on what more we can do to help children achieve the best education, have a happy, healthy and safe childhood and prevent young people going off the rails and getting into trouble.
To kick things off we heard from more than 50 parents, teachers, children and professionals at a listening event in Bristol. Their views and experiences will help shape the national Children's Plan to be published later this year.
But I want to hear from as many parents, carers, children and young people as possible about their priorities for the future and to find out what the big issues that need addressing are.
You can post your views on the Labour Party website by clicking here or log on to our consultation website at dfes.gov.uk/timetotalk .
I'll respond to as many of the comments as I can next week on LabourVision - the Party's YouTube channel. And our Children's Plan itself will address the big issues that come out of the discussion.
We all want to see every child - no matter what their background - get the best possible start in life and go on to fulfil their potential.
And building on the progress of the last decade, our Children's Plan will help us do even more to improve the life chances of our kids, tackle inequality and extend opportunity for all.
I hope you'll join the debate.
Best wishes,
Ed Balls MP Labour's Children, Schools and Families Secretary
Today, I shall address the two constant themes of my six years as Secretary-General.They are the two themes that underpin everything we do in the Commonwealth.
They are:
· 'Democracy', and specifically the role of Parliaments;
· and 'Democracy' and its close cousin, 'Development'.
There are plenty of good news stories about democracy in the Commonwealth. They tend to get overlooked, because they do not make sensational stories for the media. We have just had peaceful changes of government in Jamaica and Sierra Leone, one smoother than the other, but in both the people spoke and their wishes were respected. Australia faces an election soon, as does Kenya.By and large, our Commonwealth remains a living example of democracy in both theory and practice.
We have the Commonwealth Declarations of 1971 and 1991 that set out our fundamental political values.Our Latimer House Principles of 2003 define and differentiate the roles of the three branches of Government: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
The overthrow of a constitutionally elected government leads inevitably to a country being suspended.
But even if that happens, we never turn our backs: our aim is always to help it to repair the damage and return to the fold.
Parliaments are at the core of the practice of democracy.All of you are a supremely important part of its machinery.
Parliaments represent the people.
They discuss.
They agree; they disagree.
They find consensus.
They deliver on behalf of people.
So if you're a Government that has marginalised Opposition parties and limited their capacity to do their rightful job, you will simply hand more power to groups outside of parliament, and that may cause you even greater problems." Don Mackinnon Last speech as the Secretary General of the commonwealth to the CPA
Hazel Blears calls for open selectionHazel Blears joined Operation Black Vote in calling on the Labour Party NEC and Walthamstow Labour Branch to reopen its selection process. The choice of a women-only shortlist has alarmed all sections of the party reaching up to cabinet level, with Blears calling the decision ‘ill considered’.
There are currently 15 BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) MPs at Westminster, although a representative figure would be closer to 60. The vacancy created by Neil Gerrard standing down in Walthamstow is an opportunity to address Parliament’s Black democratic deficit.
Hazel Blears, alongside OBV and the Fawcettt Society have been advocates of women-only shortlists despite them not delivering for Black women in areas including West Ham, and Hornsey and Wood Green, but on this occasion believe that an open selection will deliver greater equality. OBV appeal to Michael Griffiths, NEC Chair and Peter Watt, the Labour General Secretary to seriously consider this situation.
OBV Director Simon Woolley said:
OBV supports the stance of Cabinet Minister and Chair of the Labour Party Hazel Blears in calling the shortlist ill considered. All women shortlists while addressing the gender gap have failed to deliver on race equality. Walthamstow is an opportunity to get this right, therefore we call for an open selection in a borough where almost 50% of inhabitants are BME.
Ashok Viswanathan OBV Deputy Director said:
There are several local BME candidates-men and women-that would be suitable for this seat. There are only two Black women in Westminster, they were both selected on open lists. Women only shortlists simply don’t work for Black women. The Labour Party need to be bold and courageous, open up the selection and give the opportunity to black male and female candidates.
Since 1997 the Labour Government has built over 1,100 new schools with 27,000 new or improved classrooms. But over the next three years we will accelerate the pace of investment with a £21 billion cash injection to build more 21st century schools.We have also launched 'Time to Talk' - a national discussion on what more we can do to help children achieve the best education, have a happy, healthy and safe childhood and prevent young people going off the rails and getting into trouble.
To kick things off we heard from more than 50 parents, teachers, children and professionals at a listening event in Bristol. Their views and experiences will help shape the national Children's Plan to be published later this year.
But I want to hear from as many parents, carers, children and young people as possible about their priorities for the future and to find out what the big issues that need addressing are.
You can post your views on the Labour Party website by clicking here or log on to our consultation website at dfes.gov.uk/timetotalk .
I'll respond to as many of the comments as I can next week on LabourVision - the Party's YouTube channel. And our Children's Plan itself will address the big issues that come out of the discussion.
We all want to see every child - no matter what their background - get the best possible start in life and go on to fulfil their potential.
And building on the progress of the last decade, our Children's Plan will help us do even more to improve the life chances of our kids, tackle inequality and extend opportunity for all.
I hope you'll join the debate.
Best wishes,
Ed Balls MP Labour's Children, Schools and Families Secretary
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