teeb
Well-Known Member
Six days ago now, John McCain said this in a speech :
He wants to use the British (and Canadian) system of Prime Minister's Questions and use it in the US Houses.
To give people who don't know, to give you a quick idea, in the UK PMQs is a half hour long session on Wednesdays in which any MP can ask a question to the Prime Minister. Names are chosen by random ballot beforehand and questions can be asked 'on the spur of the moment' by standing up (like putting your hand up in school). The Leader of the Opposition gets 6 questions and the leader of the next biggest party 2. The other questions are all from MPs, roughly asked in proportion to the party numbers (40:40:18:2 Labour:Tory:LibDem:Other in the UK, if memory serves).
It's a piece of theatre, basically, and it can be very entertaining. It's one of C-SPAN (in the US)'s most popular programmes. The problem for the PM or President is that he has no idea what questions are coming so he has to be briefed on many topics.
My opinion is that it is a great idea, allowing the President to be held to account as well as making politics more available to everyone. It also says a fair bit about John McCain, that he's willing to put himself through something like this. It's an idea that should be taken up, no matter who wins in November. What do you think?
If you're interested in the UK PMQs, transcripts, mp3 podcasts and video can be found here for the past fair while. An opinion piece on McCain's idea can be read here.
John McCain said:I will ask Congress to grant me the privilege of coming before both Houses to take questions and address criticism, much the same as the Prime Minister of Great Britain appears regularly before the House of Commons.
He wants to use the British (and Canadian) system of Prime Minister's Questions and use it in the US Houses.
To give people who don't know, to give you a quick idea, in the UK PMQs is a half hour long session on Wednesdays in which any MP can ask a question to the Prime Minister. Names are chosen by random ballot beforehand and questions can be asked 'on the spur of the moment' by standing up (like putting your hand up in school). The Leader of the Opposition gets 6 questions and the leader of the next biggest party 2. The other questions are all from MPs, roughly asked in proportion to the party numbers (40:40:18:2 Labour:Tory:LibDem:Other in the UK, if memory serves).
It's a piece of theatre, basically, and it can be very entertaining. It's one of C-SPAN (in the US)'s most popular programmes. The problem for the PM or President is that he has no idea what questions are coming so he has to be briefed on many topics.
My opinion is that it is a great idea, allowing the President to be held to account as well as making politics more available to everyone. It also says a fair bit about John McCain, that he's willing to put himself through something like this. It's an idea that should be taken up, no matter who wins in November. What do you think?
If you're interested in the UK PMQs, transcripts, mp3 podcasts and video can be found here for the past fair while. An opinion piece on McCain's idea can be read here.