PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

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As regards the practicability and cogency of reforms, it should suffice to make the obvious point once more, that so often there are competing considerations which have to be traded off one against another, and that there are usually downsides to any proposed reform, which are best anticipated in advance. An example of this which most parliaments have experienced is how to streamline procedures to deal with ever-expanding volumes of business, without this limiting the expression of a diversity of views or the rights of individual members. One can only admire the ingenuity required of the Indian Lok Sabha to enable the expectations of its 38 parties to be met without business completely grinding to a halt. One reform strategy which is now being used by a number of parliaments is to pilot proposed changes for a limited period so that their effects can be monitored before they are made permanent. In the case of the problems identified by the Dutch Parliament (see above) this strategy has proved helpful, and the quotation from their submission enables this brief review to end on a positive note. ‘Experimenting with the proposed renewals before implementing them definitively has turned out to be an effective solution to the above-mentioned problems. Proposals that met with a lot of resistance initially proved to lead to remarkably positive results in practice.’ Planning for the future Facing the future I 193 For parliaments, ‘facing the future’ means many things. It means responding to the pressures of a rapidly changing society and global system in ways which retain what is distinctive about their country’s tradition. It means being open to ongoing reform in their own procedures, so that these are equal to the challenge of the times and to parliament’s own role as a guardian of democracy. It can also mean engaging in long-term thinking about the country’s future in a pro-active way, rather than simply reacting to initiatives placed before it by the government. Three examples of such future planning are given here. The first is provided by Latvia’s Subcommittee on the Future Development of Latvia, which was established in 2003 and comprises 13 parliamentarians from all Saeima groups. The submission from the Latvian Parliament describes its tasks as follows: ■ to work on drafting a single document for Latvia’s future development, including formulation of the vision of Latvia in 15-20 years, which would facilitate Latvia’s sustainable development and would improve the social welfare and safety of each member of society; ■ to develop cooperation with different public institutions, scientists, youth and other members of society, and in a joint dialogue to
194 I PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY search for opportunities to ensure Latvia’s more rapid development and competitiveness; ■ to organise and listen to lectures on various themes that are important in science and the national economy and thus to serve as a useful source of information for achieving goals set by the members of parliament. In Israel, the Commission for Future Generations was established in the Knesset in 2001. Its purpose is to include a future dimension in national legislation, which it does by giving opinions and making recommendations at clearly defined stages of the legislative process on legislation that is of interest to future generations. A much older and more fully documented example is Finland’s Committee for the Future, which was established in 1992, when the Eduskunta adopted a resolution requiring the Government to provide it with a report on long-term developments and options for the country. The Committee for the Future was set up on a temporary basis to evaluate this report and respond to it, and it continued in being till it was made permanent in 2000. It sees its role as being to correct what it regards as a significant deficit – that ‘in all parliaments the identification of long-term structural challenges and their values-base has been left behind in the course of traditional legislative work.’ The Committee consists of 17 members from all parties, and liaises closely with the Prime Minister’s office, playing a similar role in the formulation of high-level policy, but with more emphasis on the ‘value-based discussion’ than on policy implementation. The list of issues it has dealt with over the past decade and more includes: 1. Reports on the future, i.e. responses to Government reports on: ■ Major global environmental and other structural problems ■ The effects on Finland of European economic and other development ■ Factors in Finland’s competitiveness and success ■ Regional development 2. Topical themes taken up on the Committee’s initiative for discussion at plenary sessions: ■ Plant gene technology in food production ■ Ten pain points in the future of work ■ The future of the Finnish knowledge society
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Electoral systems A representative
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An effective parliament (I): The na
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consideration of a bill more effect
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Oversight through parliamentary que
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Anti-terrorist legislation An effec
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PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

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