After reading my recent Blog – The Three Stooges, an acquaintance of mine … Parliament Hill Harry (PHH for short) contacted me for the purpose of sharing his plan for a Reformed Senate.
The Plan itself is amazingly simple – in more ways than one – it allows for Members of Parliament, having been elected in five or more General Elections, to sit in a Reformed Senate – for life, which not too long ago was the accepted standard.
Anyway, PHH’s thinking is that it is non-politicians who come in and continually screw things up – so why not appoint only former politicians – “the guys and gals who have actually had to fight in the trenches” so to speak.
When he initially called me, he asked if I could live with his plan given my general distain for the institution and I had to be honest with him by saying no – ‘any unelected legislative body is doomed to failure’.
But PHH was not to be deterred – he said he had run the plan by a current member of the esteemed chamber (aka A Senator) and received some promising feedback. He included with his plan a transcript of that feedback.
Here is how it went:
PHH… ‘You were once a successful politician who was elected several times to the House of Commons, would you not agree with me that the Senate would be a much better place if membership was confined to former M.P.s?”
A Senator… ‘You are on to something here Harry – its those darned former media types who come into this place (Senators continually refer to the Senate as this place as if there is really any danger of it being confused with the other place – the elected House of Commons …but I digress) and royally ball things up – they do not know how the game is played. Simple as that.”
PHH…’So you could live with my plan?’
A Senator …’Maybe, but I do find one aspect of it troubling and that relates to the life term. Now don’t get me wrong – I like the idea of an appointment for life (why wouldn’t he – he is currently 73 and will be obliged to leave the Senate upon attaining his 75th birthday) but we have to be practical here … what if a few of us come down with serious afflictions before we die – say dementia for instance?”
PHH… ‘That is all covered in the addendum to my Plan – should an Honourable Senator become incapacitated, his or her vote would automatically be considered cast for the Party he or she represents.’
A Senator …’Well that’s certainly thinking ahead there young feller’. But what if there were instances where we wanted to vote against our own Party – I know if never happens.. but just what if..’.
PHH..’Can you provide me with a for instance?’
A Senator… ‘Well what if your own Party wanted to reduce the term of Senators – or God forbid, actually do away with the Senate – I would want my vote to be cast against it’.
PHH..’If you will read the small print in the same addendum it states that Honourable (sick) Senators can have their votes cast against their own Party if they have made instructions in advance of their affliction, that is to say, while they were fully compos.
So in the cases you suggested, all you would need do is let the Speaker of The Senate know in advance that should your mental health deteriorate on your way to 100, and should such an item come up for vote …your vote would be cast as a Nay – even if it was your own Party sponsoring the vote".’
A Senator..’Well Harry you have thought of everything, and in so doing you have preserved the role of the Senate as the place of sober second thought. Congratulations.
I am all for it and I can assure you my fellow former House colleagues will be as well.
Now, should we adjourn to the lounge for a libation or two? The Senate will of course pick-up the tab.
PHH .. ‘Capital idea Senator’.
So Galagher do you think my plan has legs?
Well Harry, if it has any chance for success you will need to win the Media over to your side and there is only one way you can do that.
PHH ..’Appoint Media Types to the Senate for life’.
Fraid so.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
