Topic Parliament

Every democracy promises transparency. Every democracy also keeps secrets. At first glance, these two ideas seem impossible to reconcile. Citizens expect governments to explain their decisions. Governments insist that some decisions cannot be fully explained. Military operations remain confidential. Intelligence…

Every democracy changes governments. Very few change the rules through which governments are elected. The difference is easy to overlook. Governments regularly introduce new welfare schemes, rewrite tax policies, amend laws and launch ambitious programmes. These decisions influence governance, but…

A productive Parliament sounds like a healthy Parliament. More Bills passed. Faster decisions. Quicker implementation. By almost every administrative measure, this appears to be success. After all, citizens expect governments to solve problems, not endlessly debate them. Roads must be…

Every game needs a referee. Not because the referee scores runs, kicks goals or wins matches, but because both sides must believe the rules will be applied fairly. The moment players begin to suspect that the referee favours one team,…

Every democracy has two jobs. The first is to make decisions. The second is to doubt those decisions. Most people believe elections accomplish both. They don’t. Elections decide who governs. Institutions decide how those who govern continue to be questioned.…

Understanding the Shift from Deliberative Democracy to Executive Governance Imagine a government announcing a major new law tomorrow morning. The Cabinet approves it. The minister introduces it in Parliament. By evening, both Houses pass it. The President gives assent. The…