Issue 04
Beyond Party Politics
In briefA pathway into the movement’s proposed referendum, public statements and civic action resources.
01Today
Where things stand
- 01
Parties control the agenda
Almost every MP is elected under a party label, and party whips decide much of how they vote. Constitutional change usually happens when, and how, the governing party chooses.
- 02
Constitutional reform is piecemeal
Devolution, the creation of the Supreme Court in 2009 and reforms to the House of Lords were each delivered as separate Acts, without the public ever being asked about the constitution as a whole.
- 03
Citizens rarely get a direct say
UK-wide referendums are rare. The country has held three, in 1975, 2011 and 2016. Each was called because the government of the day decided to call it.
- 04
Deliberation without parties is possible
Other democracies have used citizens’ assemblies to consider constitutional questions. Ireland’s assemblies, for example, preceded referendums that amended its Constitution.
02The alternative
What changes when the people decide
A referendum on a codified constitution changes who owns the rules:
The constitution draws its authority from the people who approved it, not from the party in power.
Future changes require public consent through the amendment procedure.
The rules apply equally to every party, whoever wins the next election.
Constitutional questions are settled on their merits, not on the electoral cycle.
03Position
TSP’s position
“No political parties, no tribal bickering, no executive and parliamentary overreach.”
TSP leads the People’s Charter Movement, whose demand is meant to unite people regardless of how they vote: a nationwide referendum on a codified constitution and popular sovereignty.
Research on this issue
6 records- Parliamentary sovereigntyClosing Down the Circus: Why a 17th-Century Parliament is Destroying Our 21st-Century FuturePublished
- Constitutional designThe Architecture of Obsolescence: Why the United Kingdom Requires a Codified ConstitutionPublished
- Civic participationWhy 11 Million Plus Britons Have Withdrawn Their ConsentDraft
- Constitutional designThe Unwritten Shield vs. The Written ContractDraft
- Constitutional designThe Architecture of DiversionIn review
- Civic participationThe Uni-Party SystemDraft
Is TSP a political party?
No. TSP leads the People’s Charter Movement, which describes itself as beyond party politics. It does not ask supporters how they vote, and its central demand is a referendum rather than a party programme. Details of TSP Media’s formal legal status are being confirmed and will be published.
Can members of political parties support TSP?
The movement’s demand is designed to be shared across the political spectrum. Supporting a referendum on the constitution does not require leaving or joining any party.