- Over a million sign online petition opposing suspension of Parliament in run up to Brexit
- Democracy app makers urge voters to use online platforms like Rate Your Leader to have their say and communicate with MPs during shut down.
The Prime Minister’s decision to suspend Parliament in the weeks before Brexit has created a “democratic void which can only be filled with digital engagement”, the founders of a democracy project believe.
The government announced a five-week suspension of Parliament in September and October in the immediate run-up to Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union on October 31st.
With Parliament suspended, MPs are unlikely to have time to take steps to prevent Britain leaving the EU under a “no deal” Brexit, which one bank this week warned could have “an immediate and severe impact on almost all areas of economic activity”.
Almost 1.5 million voters have already signed a petition opposing the move.
The Digital Democracy project is urging voters to use it’s free Rate Your Leader app to ensure their voices are heard during the suspension of Parliament.
Rate Your Leader, is a free app allowing voters to communicate directly with their own elected representatives at the touch of a button in a way which makes abuse impossible, and rating them for their responsiveness.
Founder Joel Popoola said:
“This isn’t about Brexit and it isn’t about Boris Johnson – it’s about democracy. The idea that this or any other Prime Minister can simply shut down Parliament and take decisions directly from Downing Street if the democratic representatives of the people won’t obey him is an almighty precedent to set, whatever your politics.
“The decision creates a void at the heart of our democracy where for over a month the people’s representatives can’t represent them, and where the people’s voices can’t be heard.
“We’ve already seen digital democracy filling that gap with the popularity of the petition opposing the prorogation of Parliament, and technology like Rate Your Leader is another platform voters can use to get their voices heard.”
The Rate Your Leader app is available from the Apple and Google Marketplaces.
The Rate Your Leader app has a five star rating on the Google market, with one reviewer writing “This is the new level of politics…better communication of leaders with the electorates and accountability”.
An ever-increasing number of MPs, councillors, MEPs and Police & Crime Commissioners have already taken advantage of the free democracy app to stay in touch with the people who elect them and to get their message out to confirmed voters in their constituencies, helping them truly understand what matters most to the people who elect them.
