A couple of days ago I decided to check if there are any current petitions that are seeking to prevent secretive lobbying by Politicians and party funders. This follows the impact that David Cameron and Boris Johnson have had on our nation over the last two years when they should have been acting very differently. This is the petition I found and I am very aware that once a petition is accepted by the Parliamentary Committee that even if other people would want to change the focus slightly, the Parliamentary system would not allow one to be approved. So even if the words in this petition are not quite the words you would choose to use, the reality is you cannot get another version until after this petition ends on the 20th October. I have signed it and I thanked the person whose tweet indicated he was endorsing it and who shared the surname of the author and he responded by explaining that it is his 15 year old son (Luke Doyle) who actually wrote it.

I can’t take credit for this. My 15-year-old son set this up. He is dismayed at the rot evident at the heart of our system and can’t believe we adults shrug our shoulders and apparently ‘don’t give a monkey’s’…

The photo of Luke is from a local newspaper that was taken when he was 12 as he was a youth actor at that time. His involvement as a young person seems to me to be a vital reason for signing it along with the context of the petition. If we can get it to reach 100,000 signatures which is currently a big challenge, the MPs in Parliament would have the opportunity to discuss it. Indeed even if it could only get to 10,000 the Government would have to respond and if their response is inadequate which does happen with some petitions, the Parliamentary committee are entitled to ask for a more effective response. As things stand it is some distance away from 10,000 or 100,000 signatures but perhaps we could encourage people to sign it. Luke will be able to vote in 3 years time and while there is a small prospect of a General Election before his 18th Birthday the current 5 year period is due to end in December 2024 so that would enable Luke to be able to vote at the next General Election. My friend Martin Campbell who used to live here in Brighton now lives in the same constituency as Luke and his Dad, Andy Doyle so perhaps they along with Martin’s husband could campaign together in their constituency for a new form of politics. In the meantime here is the full text for the petition and this is the link to sign it.

Ban all former ministers and MPs from lobbying

It has become clear that ex-ministers and ex-MPs can have a huge influence on the Government through lobbying (persuading the Government to support laws/decisions that may give a corporation of organisation an advantage). We’re for a ban on ministers and MPs from lobbying after leaving office.

In the light of the recent Greensill scandal, we believe that a ban on all lobbying by former ministers and MPs would help prevent corruption so former ministers and MPs cannot unfairly influence politics. This would ensure that the actions of the Government are not influenced by lobbing of friends outside of government, and instead are motivated by a desire to ensure the benefit of greater society.