This has been an argument since the founding of our nation. Do we want a representative Republican or do we want a Parliamentary system of government? Under our system we need to wait till 2024 to send Biden to assisted living. In Britain, where the Party leader screws up, they get rid of that person and elect a new leader—regardless of sending people to the polls to vote. Then a national election is held and the majority Party selects the Prime Minister.
“Second, parliament can dissolve itself and call for new elections. (Sometimes, the prime minister himself or herself can order parliament dissolved.) If the party in power -– perhaps with parliamentary allies -– cannot form a parliamentary majority, the individual who can from such a majority becomes the new prime minister. This happened to Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Two months after Britain (and allies) won World War II in Europe in 1945, parliament was dissolved. Churchill was a member of the Conservative Party. The opposition Labor Party overwhelmingly won the election, installing Clement Atlee, the Labor Party leader, as the new prime minister.
Under that system we would have thrown the Democrats out of congress months ago and we would not be facing a recession, an energy crisis and inflation.
By Richard Colman, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views 7/8/22
America cannot easily get rid of bad presidents.
But Great Britain can eliminate unpopular or incompetent prime ministers quickly.
America needs a British-style parliamentary system.
With a parliamentary system, America could easily have rid itself of such presidents as Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, and Joseph Biden.
In a parliamentary system, there are three basic ways to eliminate a bad prime minister.
First, the party in power in parliament can choose a new party leader. This happened to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1990 after she proposed an unpopular tax. Thatcher, a member of the Conservative (Tory) Party, was attending a theatrical performance in Paris, France, when she got word of a secret Conservative Party meeting in Britain. Thatcher rushed back to Britain. By the time she reached her British destination, party leaders had already replaced her. The new leader, John Major, also a Conservative Party member, instantly became the new prime minister. Quickly, Thatcher had to move out of the prime minister’s London residence, 10 Downing Street.
Second, parliament can dissolve itself and call for new elections. (Sometimes, the prime minister himself or herself can order parliament dissolved.) If the party in power -– perhaps with parliamentary allies -– cannot form a parliamentary majority, the individual who can from such a majority becomes the new prime minister. This happened to Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Two months after Britain (and allies) won World War II in Europe in 1945, parliament was dissolved. Churchill was a member of the Conservative Party. The opposition Labor Party overwhelmingly won the election, installing Clement Atlee, the Labor Party leader, as the new prime minister.
Third, the party in power can lose a vote of confidence in parliament. Generally, when this happens, there is a new election.
In America, presidents are elected for a four-year term. The term is fixed. Unless the president is impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the Senate, the president would be forced to leave office. In 1974, President Richard Nixon was on the verge of impeachment. Facing certain impeachment in the House of Representative and certain conviction in the Senate, Nixon, on Aug. 9, 1974, resigned. Telling Nixon to resign were several senators, the most prominent of whom was Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) who told Nixon that the president had abused power in the Watergate scandal.
Other presidents, if they were prime ministers in a parliamentary system, would, in all likelihood, have been ejected from office.
In August 2017, there was a riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. During the riot, white supremacists were pitted against others. Some of the white supremacists, shouted, “Jews will not replace us.” During the riot, someone present was killed. Shortly after the riot, President Trump said, “You had very fine people on both sides.” In a British-style parliamentary system, Trump could have been instantly removed from the presidency because of his controversial remark.
In August 2021, President Biden was president when American forces exited Afghanistan. The exodus was bungled and 13 members of the American military serving in Afghanistan were killed. In a parliamentary system, Biden could have been removed from office quickly.
America needs a governing system that allows a president to be removed from office instantaneously if he makes a serious error.
America cannot afford to have incompetent leaders remaining at the helm.
