According to Alderley councillor Frank Keegan voting in elections should be compulsory.
In Mr Keegan’s opinion, far too few of us engage in the political process.
Sighting the Australian system of mandatory voting Coun Keegan says that ‘Australians very quickly tell the politicians when they don’t deliver what they promised,’ and urges us to do likewise.
Oh dear, where do we start? We could begin with the Lyme Green fiasco, where despite screaming objections and strong evidence from the parish council that unauthorised building was taking place Cheshire East denied everything until caught in the act.
Or we could discuss late night licensing where local residents went to inordinate lengths to object, even travelling to other towns to collect photographic evidence of the mayhem it brought.
They were ignored completely.
Now Cheshire’s Police Commissioner complains of the spiralling cost of alcohol-related incidents. The very outcome residents predicted.
Then there’s the outrageous pay-offs to departing council directors made from the public purse but without public approval, and the exclusion of any form of public participation in the recruitment of yet another CEO.
There was a huge public campaign rejecting the plans for the proposed Wilson Bowden development of Macclesfield town centre culminating in more than 500 residents rallying outside the town hall. None of which had any impact on CEC which approved it.
So why is Coun Keegan surprised that voters have lost faith in the political process? Time after time, CEC make a mockery of democracy.
They may, however, be heading for a showdown. Should Cheshire East fail to recognise the fury of residents to their inexplicable invasion of the green belt, Mr Keegan might see more public reaction than he bargained for.
I would like to offer an alternative electoral system to the one suggested by Councillor Keegan. I propose we make it compulsory for councillors to institute the democratic decisions of the community they serve.
That’s the way to build confidence in the political process, not by forcing residents to vote for politicians in whom they have no faith.
