Friday 21 May 2010

Historical Precedent for Lib-Cons Constitutional Change

After the 1933 German election, Hitler, the leader of the minority Nazi Party, ignored the sizable socialist opposition and formed a coalition with a minor party to achieve a 51.8% parliamentary majority.

Hitler immediately passed ‘The Enabling Act’, which effectively raised the bar so that his coalition could not be removed from power in Parliament without a two-thirds majority of the votes. This supposedly was for the stability of the Nazi coalition government. The ‘Enabling Act’ was originally brought in to provide stability in Germany for the following four years. We all know what happened thereafter.

Does this situation sound familiar today?

Whilst not in any way, shape or form, comparing the Lib-Cons to the Nazi Party, it proves how dangerous it is to mess with the constitution for party political purposes, especially without the approval of the electorate.

All supporters of democracy of whatever political opinion should combine to block this dangerous constitutional change.

Michael Baldry

1 comment:

Tim Lennon said...

A poor comparison - the proposal from the coalition is that the Government can't be removed during its term without a 55% majority voting against it. Whatever else happens, the term only runs for 5 years anyway, which is what a term of Parliament can always run for.

I don't think I really agree with it as phrased, but that doesn't make it a shortcut to Fascism.