How Westminster Works…And Why It Doesn’t

Description

British politics is broken. Anyone sitting down to watch the news will get a firm sense that something has gone terribly wrong. Prime ministers are misleading and inadequate. Cabinet secretaries are uninformed and deluded. Many MPs are of the lowest imaginable quality. The legislation is sloppy, ineffective and broadly worded. Expertise is denigrated. Lies are rewarded. And deep-seated, long-lasting national problems go permanently unresolved. Most of us have a sense that the system doesn’t work – but do we know how to articulate exactly why? The reality is that despite all the coverage, hardly anyone understands how Westminster actually works. Our political and financial system is cloaked in secrecy, archaic terminology, ancient custom, impenetrable technical jargon and deliberate obfuscation.