Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Occupy London discovers some demands - and they are good ones

Today's Guardian carries a report saying that the Occupy London demonstrators have finally come up with some demands - and they are making them of the City of London Corporation itself:
The Occupy statement says democratic reform is "urgently needed" for an "unconstitutional and unfair" institution. It calls for:
  • An end to business and corporate votes in elections, which can outvote residents. 
  • Removal of "secrecy practices", and transparent reform of institutions. 
  • Decommissioning of the City of London police, with officers put under the Met. 
  • Abolition of the offices of lord mayor, sheriffs and aldermen. 
  • A truth and reconciliation commission to examine allegations of corruption.
The last one looks a bit silly: we are not living in apartheid South Africa and I would like to see some more prosecutions. But they are right in their implication that the City of London Corporation needs democratic reform.

I don't suppose that even an election under a reformed system would produce a very radical administration in the Square Mile, but other city corporations were reformed in the 19th century. The demonstrators are right to say that it is time London caught up.

2 comments:

Hywel said...

Those demands were made ages ago. And reported in the Guardian!
http://awurl.com/NEeXXA5LM

Nick said...

I'm expecting one of the bizarre Tory think tanks - or possibly our oh so predictably contrary friends at Spiked - to turn that on its end. There's a surely a gap in the market for a report advocating that local government in the rest of the UK should be more like the Corporation of London than the other way around.