Welcome
The Senior Citizens Party was founded on 22 January 2004 to represent the needs and concerns of the 20.6 million Seniors, age 50 or over, who make up 43% of the voting population. Grahame had been an active member of the Conservative Party all his life and Terry an active member of the Labour Party. Both of them, like many other Seniors, had become disillusioned with the present generation of politicians many of whom, they feel, are largely disinterested in the opinions and wishes of their electorate and are mainly concerned with gaining and maintaining power for themselves. Once they have been elected they rarely meet with or communicate with the people who voted for them.
Hypocrisy and "spin" are rife and promises made during election campaigns, even those laid down in their respective manifestos, are quickly forgotten. When interviewed politicians refuse point-blank to give a straight answer to a straight question, and merely repeat their own views. This sort of behaviour has led to a major decline in their moral and ethical standards and has resulted in the majority of the population becoming disillusioned with both politics and politicians, and the percentage of people voting has therefore declined. The undemocratic "first-past-the-post" system which results in the number of representatives of each party elected bearing very little relationship to the number of votes actually cast only adds to the feeling that it won't make any difference who you vote for, and leaders to fewer and fewer people bothering to vote (often no more than 25-30% in local elections).
Present-day Seniors were brought up to tell the truth, keep their promises and adhere to high moral and ethical standards and have no confidence in people who do otherwise. Such a situation undermines democracy and plays directly into the hands of extremists, who feel able to justify anti-social, criminal and even terrorist activities on the grounds that democracy is seen not to be working. We believe that Seniors, precisely because they form the largest demographic group in the UK, have a unique opportunity to reform democracy so that it does once again represent the will of the people and create a better and fairer society, not just for Seniors but for everyone. To achieve this, however, they must unite, be prepared to stand up and be counted, and to form their own political party, as already exists in other European countries, and to stand for election at local, regional, national and European level.
Our Aims
01 Central Government should abandon its policy of centralisation and return local government to local people. 70% of the electorate do not bother to vote at local elections because they feel that local government is powerless to bring about the changes that they want to see.
02 The unfair Council Tax should be abolished and replaced with a system which takes account of people's ability to pay such as a Local Income Tax (as recommended by the Layfield Commission in 1976).
03 One-Stop Local Government (Unitary Authorites) should be introduced throughout the UK to replace the current widely differing systems which increase complexity and decrease popular understanding.
04 Annual Local Government elections should be introduced throughout the UK where one third of the councillors retire each year. This ensures that all voters are reminded of their democratic responsibilities every year and gives them an opportunity to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their elected representatives.
05 To prevent electoral fraud each resident over 17 should be required to submit a separate registration form which would include his or her date of birth and signature.
06 Procedures should be introduced, with appropriate security measures, to allow residents to vote personally, by post, by telephone or via the internet.
07 To increase the current very limited choice the Additional Member system as used in Scotland and Wales should be introduced to allow voters the possibility of voting both for a local candidate and for a party, with the party votes being used to ensure that the elected council is genuinely representative of the voters wishes.
08 Mayors, Chief Constables and Chief Executives of NHS Trusts should be directly elected every four years. Candidates should put forward their own manifestos and budgets.
09 The income from Business Rates should be restored to Local Councils who should be allowed to set the rates up to, but not higher than, the domestic rates. This gives councils a genuine incentive to support and encourage local businesses.
10 Central Government must provide adequate ring-fenced funding for Seniors, the Disabled and Young People aged 14-18 in accordance with the numbers resident in the appropriate Local Council area. They must only be allowed to impose additional responsibilities on Local Government if they are fully funded and approved as such by the National Audit Office.
Grahame Leon-Smith, Party Leader April 2007
www.seniorcitizensparty.org.uk/