tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post4291277082725710774..comments2024-03-20T08:06:18.312+00:00Comments on Benny's Blog: Reflections on a broken democracy ...Benny Hazlehursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11106740133903626260noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-49595721856770481122012-12-07T10:29:08.627+00:002012-12-07T10:29:08.627+00:00Might I interest you in a campaign to reform the r...Might I interest you in a campaign to reform the representation of the laity by enabling each member on the electoral roll to vote for their representatives?<br />See Lay Anglicana: http://www.layanglicana.org/blog/2012/12/06/one-member-one-vote-by-paul-bagshaw/<br />and my own blog: http://notthesamestream.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/one-member-one-vote-simple.htmlPaul Bagshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17694279608748668806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-68869487999403169412012-12-04T08:43:25.293+00:002012-12-04T08:43:25.293+00:00Thank you James and Nancy. I think that respresen...Thank you James and Nancy. I think that respresentation in the Hosue of Laity is a key problem and you are right to identify it. One of the issues is a generational one as I am sure you know.<br /><br />Lay members of General Synod need to be able to devote at least 2 weeks a year to GS which rules out the majority of people of working age unless they are happy to use up valuable holiday leave. Add to that the fact that Deanery Synods are the electoral college for the House of Laity (and we all know how youthful and dynamic most Deanery Synods are...) and we have a coaktail which pushes the balance towards an older more conservative membership in the House of Laity.<br /><br />Having siad that, I still think that the 2/3rd majority requirement needs to be reconsidered. As I point out, it would still be possible to have the safeguards of a 2/3rd majority but applied in a different way which would prevent the situation we now find oursleves in where 42 out of 44 Diocesan Synods voted for the measure and there was a 2/3rds majority accross Diocesan Synod members (in all houses) but it still did not pass in GS.<br /><br />Thinking Anglicans have done a useful calculation which shows this at http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/005787.html <br /><br />Across all Diocesan Synod members, the voting was:<br />Bishops: 75 for, 13 against, 4 abstentions<br /> Clergy: 1503 for, 461 against, 50 abstentions<br /> Laity: 1664 for, 489 against, 72 abstentions<br /> <br />Thus the proportions voting against the motion were: <br />Bishops 15%, Clergy 23%, Laity 23%.<br /> <br />These contrast with General Synod proportions of 6%, 23%, and 36% respectively.Benny Hazlehursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11106740133903626260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-75748546216177023262012-12-04T01:23:25.559+00:002012-12-04T01:23:25.559+00:00James67. I think you are absolutely right.James67. I think you are absolutely right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-82493570580108894162012-12-03T15:42:18.082+00:002012-12-03T15:42:18.082+00:00More than a third of the House of Laity voted agai...More than a third of the House of Laity voted against the measure and I really can't believe that more than a third of the lay membership of the Church is against women bishop. So is the House representative of the ordinary membership? I think not and I think that's a real problem. Conservative Evangelicals and Traditionalist Anglo-Catholics have worked hard to get their voice over-represented and we need to work equally hard to counter that. The key to that is getting more people from the mainstream to stand for General Synod. If the mainstream doesn't speak up then the voices on the fringes will be the only ones heard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-80556101867072794822012-12-03T13:21:45.275+00:002012-12-03T13:21:45.275+00:00Although I was devastated by the result in General...Although I was devastated by the result in General Synod in November 2012 I think it's right to have a 2/3 majority rule for some issues. I think it is important to protect minorities. On the other hand it can't be right if an arrangement that was designed to protect a minority works by the minority dictating to the majority. I would like to see General Synod reformed by introducing some form of universal suffrage for election of House of Laity representatives.Nancy Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08414597433860002332noreply@blogger.com