Its 750 years since the birth in 1265 of the very first parliament in England was organised by Simon de Montfort (1208-11265) then the most powerful man in the country next to the King. He brought men from across England together in Westminster. Napoleon Bonaparte called him "one of the greatest Englishmen". Simon de Montfort had two men from each county and two burghers from each town come together - he is sometimes referred to as the father of the English Parliament. This has been a very long project that he kicked off all those years ago. What is the state of democracy in this country today? Since the First Great Reform Act of 1832 there have been many steeping stones on route to this new Jerusalem. From the polis in Greece in the pre-Christian world at Plato's Republic we have now in the UK a veritable potpourri of choices in our new politics. The advent of the Scottish National Party (SNP), UKip, the Greens has made the election in May too complex to call. In The Guardian today it is suggested that SNP will support Labour in a minority government. Will UKip do the same for the Conservatives? Lets wait and see.
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