Coalition of Independents for Reform, not a Party, What is it and Why?

One person already commented, on that forum of political intellect and knowledge, known as "Talk about Town", that if a group of 10 people joined together to stand for election it looked and felt like a party, so it must be a party. On such a superficial analysis that may be the case but a political party has more attributes than just being a group of disparate people getting together to stand for election. A party has ideologies that are shared (or should be shared) by its members. It has a rigid structure. It has rigid and established policies that, if elected, it gives (or should give) effect to. It has longevity or at least should have longevity.

The  intention is that those who might come together to make up the Coalition of Independents for Reform ("CIR") will adhere to some core principles but retain full freedom, outside those principles, to campaign for their own policies (like Richard Martinez fought for family rights at the last election).  They will have no obligation to become Ministers and will have a free vote in Parliament.  I would like to see individuals coming forward who would want to fight the corner of , for example,  mental health, the gay community, the anti-bullying at work campaign and other minorities in our society.

I can already hear the gasps of disbelief, how can people fighting for minorities believe that they can get elected?  Well, two reasons immediately come to mind, a belief that the majority have a conscience and will support worthy minority causes and the attraction that the core principles will have.  These core principles will be revealed shortly.  They encompass, the fight against bribery and corruption, dealing with the public debt,  electoral and parliamentary reform, accessibility to fundamental rights and ensuring that the thorny issues of the relationship with the UK, Spain and constitutional matters, for so many years used by politicians to distract attention and so retain power, do not interfere with the ability to achieve the other aims.

The CIR, therefore, will be an alliance of independents free of the constraints that come about and are imposed on politicians by the self-serving existing bipartisan party political system.  Gibraltar has been held for generations in the stranglehold that is enjoyed by elected politicians , which produces a choice of the worst of two evils.  Gibraltar cannot afford this any longer.   The rot that many of us complain of so frequently has to be stopped some day.  The CIR, if candidates come forward, will provide to voters an alternative choice of individuals to break a political system that forces voters constantly to choose between the lesser of evils.

The CIR will not campaign for a block vote, nor will it deter voters from voting for their preferred candidates from all the other main parties.  The CIR will campaign for voters to break the block vote so that each will truly use his/her 10 votes so that the result is that the 17 individuals, who they perceive to be the best, are forced to choose from amongst themselves who will provide the excellent government that Gibraltar deserves.  Idealistic?  Yes and unapologetically so.  Difficult? Yes, but nothing that is good is not difficult.  Is it likely to succeed?  The odds are stacked against this experiment succeeding but this is not a reason not to try.  Even if the experiment does not succeed fully, I believe that just undertaking the campaign at an election will force the main parties to think and make some change for the better.

It may be that in the end only one (me) will stand as an Independent or a few candidates will come forward but there is a huge advantage if 10 could be found.  The media rules, as they now stand, are biased against Independent candidates.  A party presenting 10 candidates gets 10 individual slots on GBC and in the press to preach its policies. Each party, based on this media bias, can sell their policies over and over again to the disadvantage of an individual Independent candidate.  In addition, the party leader gets to participate in the Leaders' Debate on GBC from which all others, not having 10 candidates at the election, are excluded by GBC.  Remember the controversy when the PDP were exclude at the last election.  This ignores the reality that the election is not structured around parties.  The system is a vote for individual candidates.  Parties also have greater numbers to assist in the electoral campaign, including making house to house calls.

An independent gets one shot at it and may possibly be invited to one or two discussion programmes at which he gets a chance to attract more votes.  All this is in addition to the inbuilt skew in the system caused by  years of people being told to block vote for the 10 candidates to ensure that the "evil" alternative party does not get elected.  If CIR can find 10 candidates these disadvantages can be overcome.  It will be able to take advantage of the system in place to convince voters of the wisdom of the core principles of the CIR and the individual campaigns of each candidate.  In this manner the chances of breaking the block vote will be enhanced.  Just getting 2 or 3 CIR candidates elected and preventing the main parties from ending up with a majority of 10 or 9 will provide results.  

Come along to the Conservatory at the rear of the Royal Calpe on Wednesday 23rd February 2011 at 7 p.m.  You will hear a little more.  I promise not to take up too much of your drinking time.  It is a reunion after all and drink will oil the wheels of enjoyment.  CIR believes in enjoyment being brought back into politics in Gibraltar.  Anyone interested in participating in the experiment in any way, not necessarily as a candidate, can contact me on llanitoworld@gmail.com giving me your contact details.  If you just want to provide ideas but wish to remain anonymous just say so.