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Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments in Westminster democracies are responsible to Parliament (and more specifically to the lower, more representative house) rather than to the monarch, or, in the colonial context, to the imperial government.
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Overview
Responsible government of parliamentary accountability manifests itself in several ways. Ministers account to Parliament for their decisions and for the performance of their departments . This requirement to make announcements and to answer questions in Parliament means that ministers have to be members of either house of Parliament. Secondly, although ministers are officially appointed by the head of state and can theoretically be dismissed at pleasure, they retain office subject to their holding the confidence of the lower house of Parliament. Once the lower house has passed a motion of no confidence in the government, the government must immediately resign or submit itself to the electorate in a new general election.
British North America
In Canadian history, responsible government was a major plank of the programme of development towards independence in Canada and other settler colonies in Australia and South Africa. The concept of responsible government is associated in Canada more with self-government than with parliamentary accountability: hence the notion that Newfoundland "gave up responsible government" when it surrendered its dominion status in 1933.
In the aftermath of the American Revolution, the British government was sensitive to unrest in its remaining colonies with large populations of British colonists. After Louis-Joseph Papineau's abortive Lower Canada Rebellion in 1837 and William Lyon Mackenzie's matching Upper Canada Rebellion, both of which lasted through the next year, Lord Durham was appointed governor general of British North America and given the task of examining the issues and determining how to defuse tensions. In his report, one of his recommendations was that colonies which were sufficiently developed should be granted "responsible government", a term which specifically meant the policy of British-appointed governors bowing to the will of elected colonial assemblies.
The first instance of responsible government in the British Empire was achieved by the colony of Nova Scotia in January–February 1848 through the efforts of Joseph Howe. The plaque in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada reads:
First Responsible Government in the British Empire.
The first Executive Council chosen exclusively from the party having a majority in the representative branch of a colonial legislature was formed in Nova Scotia on 2 February 1848. Following a vote of want of confidence in the preceding Council, James Boyle Uniacke, who had moved the resolution, became Attorney General and leader of the Government. Joseph Howe, the long-time campaigner for this "Peaceable Revolution", became Provincial Secretary. Other members of the Council were Hugh Bell, Wm. F. Desbarres, Lawrence O.C. Doyle, Herbert Huntingdon, James McNab, Michael Tobin, and George R. Young.
The colony of New Brunswick soon followed in May 1848 when Lieutenant Governor Edmund Walker Head brought in a more balanced representation of Members of the Legislative Assembly to the Executive Council and ceded more powers to that body.
In the Province of Canada responsible government was put to the test in 1849 when Reformers in the legislature passed the Rebellion Losses Bill, a law that provided compensation to French-Canadians who suffered losses during the Rebellions of 1837-1838 in Lower-Canada. The Governor, Lord Elgin, had serious misgivings about the bill but nonetheless signed it into law in spite of demands from the Tories that he refuse assent. Elgin was physically assaulted by an English-speaking mob for this, and the Montreal Parliament building was burned to the ground in the ensuing riots. Nonetheless, the Rebellion Losses Bill helped entrench responsible government into Canadian politics.
In time, the granting of responsible government became the first step on the road to complete independence. Canada gradually gained greater and greater autonomy over a considerable period of time through inter imperial and commonwealth diplomacy, including 1867's British North America Act, 1931's Statute of Westminster, and even as late as the patriation of the British North America Act in 1982 (see Constitution of Canada).
Australia
While the various colonies in Australia were either sparsely populated or penal settlements or both, executive power was in the hands of the Governors, who because of the great distance from their superiors in time and space in London, necessarily exercised vast powers. However the early colonials coming mostly from the United Kingdom were familiar with the Westminster system and the efforts to reform it to increase the opportunity for ordinary men to participate. The Governors and London therefore set in motion a gradual process of establishing a Westminster system in the colonies, not so fast as to get ahead of population or economic growth, nor so slow as to provoke clamouring for revolutionary change as happened in America.
Former British colonies with responsible government
- 1848 – Nova Scotia
- 1849 – Province of Canada
- 1851 – Prince Edward Island
- 1854 – New Brunswick
- 1855 – Newfoundland, Victoria
- 1856 – New South Wales, New Zealand, South Australia, Tasmania
- 1872 – Cape Colony
- 1890 – Western Australia
- 1893 – Natal
- 1906 – Transvaal
- 1907 – Orange River Colony
- 1921 – Malta (suspended between 1936-1947, 1959-1962)
- 1923 – Southern Rhodesia
References
- Arthur Berriedale Keith. Responsible Government in the Dominions, 1912.
External links
'Rajapaksa regime killed Lasantha'
he murder of 'Sunday Leader' Editor is part of an anti-democratic conspiracy, opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, claiming that the Rajapaksa regime is rendering the southern people helpless by killing its political opponents. At a media briefing in Colombo today (Jan. 08th), convened by parties in the joint opposition, he said this was similar to the manner in which the LTTE had decimated the Tamils their political, religious and cultural leaderships. Mr. Wickremesinghe accused the government of president Mahinda Rajapaksa of being responsible for the killing of the senior journalist, and said police investigations cannot be trusted as the entire regime was immersed in fraud and corruption. He said measures would be taken to secure an international level inquiry into the Lasantha Wickrematunga murder as well as the attack on Sirasa media network's studio complex. Threats to the media by minister Dallas Alahapperuma and several other government strongmen not to give publicity to the two incidents go on to prove that the government had a clear link to them, he said. Also speaking here, leader of SLMC Rauff Hakeem said this killing would spell the beginning of the end of the present regime. The repression against the media worsened to these levels just days after the president took over the media ministry, he said, adding that this situation is second only to Iraq and that it would not be surprising if Sri Lanka overtakes that country in the future. "The murder of Mr. Lasantha Wickrematunga gives a signal to political leaders and journalists to take their responsibilities more seriously and safeguard media freedom and democracy." Leader of SLFP Mahajana Wing Mangala Samaraweera also addressed the media briefing. The climax in the repression of free media is the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunga, he said, adding that since gaining power in 2006, president Mahinda Rajapaksa's dictatorial rage has worsened with the killings of politicians J. Pararajasingham, N. Raviraj and T. Maheswaran. He too, cast doubts on the police investigations into this latest high profile killing, saying that "it is the IGP who lights firecrackers for the present regime." Mr. Samaraweera said, "Lasantha Wickrematunga had used his pen to point out shortcomings of every government in the past two decades. It is the Rajapaksa regime that runs these killer gangs. It is the same gang that threw bombs, fired at and set fire to Sirasa media network's studio complex a couple of days ago." He noted that Mr. Wickrematunga had been a person, whom the Rajapaksa regime found it impossible to silence. "Soon after he became president, Mahinda had telephoned Lasantha and abused him in raw filth," said the SLFP (M) leader. "Lasantha had been readying to handover to court some documents pertaining to Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. He was also going to write for next Sunday paper about a massive swindle at the Defence Ministry. He had also planned to write about a secret decision taken at yesterday's cabinet meeting. That is why he was killed like this," he added. Democratic People's Front leader Mano Ganeshan and UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake and party MP Lakshman Kiriella also attended the media briefing.
Author: rajiv1989
Keywords: Lasantha Wickrematunga unp ranil wickramasinghe mahinda rajapakse sri lanka army ltte war sri lanka s. b. dissanayake
Added: January 8, 2009
Obama unveils plan to fuel economy
Hello and Happy New Year. This is a UPI White House Weekly. President-elect Barack Obama is calling for urgent action on a plan to jumpstart the economy. At a news conference today, Obama announced his idea that he says would save or create more than 3 million jobs and invest in health, energy and education. Republicans say the plan would only deepen the nation's enormous debt. They say it should focus more on tax cuts than spending. Obama addressed his critics saying that at this time, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift the U.S. from a recession. As part of Obama's plan to stabilize the economy, the President-elect created a new position. Obama announced this week that he has chosen Nancy Killefer to be his chief performance officer. Killefer is a senior director at a management consulting firm and was an assistant secretary of the treasury in the Clinton administration. She will be responsible for restoring fiscal order and reforming government. The President-elect is facing heavy criticism over his choice to head the CIA. Obama is reportedly set to nominate former Congressman and Clinton aide Leon Panetta to the post, but he has little intelligence experience. He also failed to consult Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee before news was leaked on Monday. The President-elect apologized and defended Panetta's management and political skills. He also promised that he was putting together a top-notch intelligence team. Despite the drama, Panetta's confirmation is not expected to draw strong opposition. Obama said goodbye to Chicago and officially moved to Washington, D.C this week. The future First Family is staying at the famous Hay Adams Hotel. The Obamas will move into the White House on Inauguration Day, January 20. Meanwhile, Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, started school on Monday at Sidwell Friends, a place that has been teaching children of U.S. presidents since the days of Teddy Roosevelt. That's all for now. Thanks for watching this UPI White House Weekly.
Author: UPIVideo
Keywords: Obama economy Democrat Republican UPI jobs debt tax Panetta CIA Hay Adams Sasha Malia inauguration
Added: January 8, 2009
LG CES 2009: Life's Green Eco Initiatives
January 7, 2009: LG ELECTRONICS HIGHLIGHTS GLOBAL INITIATIVE: LIFES GOOD WHEN ITS GREEN Focus on Reducing Environmental Impact, Development of Eco-Products LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2009 LG Electronics, a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, today announced its Lifes Good When its Green initiative, the foundation of its global sustainability program. The worldwide Lifes Good When its Green program focuses on sustainability through Eco-Design and Eco-Products, reduction of hazardous materials, responsible electronics recycling and addressing global climate change. Recycling and energy efficiency programs in the United States will be highlighted at CES 2009; key components of the global Lifes Good When its Green initiative will include: Eco-Design LGs Eco-Design strategy works to reduce the environmental impact of a products development, production, and circulation while improving efficiency of resources, recycling, and reducing hazardous materials. Eco-Products LGs Eco-Products from HDTVs to clothes washers to mobile phones use the Eco-Design. Such Eco-Products are resource- and energy-efficient, generating less waste. Hazardous Materials LG adheres to strict requirements regarding the management of hazardous materials in its production processes. Take-Back & Recycling LG Electronics has established several take-back programs and recycling facilities, allowing consumers to return end-of-life products. Products are recycled in a responsible manner. Climate Change LG will announce a set of global green policies called Lifes Green 2020 at CES. To address global climate change, LG is pledging to work to reduce greenhouse gases emitted both in the production process and over the lifetime of its products. In manufacturing, LGs goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 150 kilotons per year by 2020. In products, LG intends to reduce greenhouse gasses emitted over the lifetime of its products by 30 megatons by 2020. Eco-Supply Chain This program requires that LGs vendors also comply with national and international regulations. LG will work to require its supply chain vendors to reduce/eliminate use of hazardous materials to help reduce the impact to the environment. Environmental Safety LGs stabilization policy encourages sustainable development and eco-production to help improve energy, environment, safety, and health. Environmental Communication LG Electronics has developed an eco-label, the companys own environmental certification label, and participates in government-run programs. The purpose of obtaining eco-labels is to mark LG products as either environmentally-friendly or energy-saving products in order to ensure that customers are positively aware of the aspect of environmental safety in LG products. Full press release: http://www.pimsmultimedia.com/lgces2009/
Author: LGteamCanada
Keywords: LG Electronics Green Initiatives Environment Sustainability Eco Friendly CES 2009 Press Conference News Announcement Las Vegas Frank Lee Canada
Added: January 8, 2009
Rockets fired on Israel from the North 01-08-09
Rockets were fired from Southern Lebanon into Israel. While FoxNews apparently announced that Hezbollah was the source, other reports, which make more sense, say militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were responsible. Hezbollah has denied involvement to the Lebanese government.
Author: cheneywatch
Keywords: palestine israel lebanon hezbollah hamas pflp
Added: January 8, 2009
U.N. Official: Exposes the Israeli "human shield" lie
U.N. Official exposes the lie being spread by the zionist propaganda machine, that Hamas was responsible for the school massacre in Gaza by firing from the school and using the civilians as a human shield. MORE PROOF OF ISRAELI'S FALSE PROPAGANDA: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7809371.stm Avoid YT censorship and restrictions on Muslims, register and become active on the following site: http://moyt.net76.net Register now! The time to unite is upon us! we must have our own rules and our own laws! beacuse under the rules of others we are only silenced and injustice is our shadow..it is time to rise and it is time to awaken..
Author: SFAproductions
Keywords: Crisis in Gaza UN school massacre idf terrorists kill civilian women and children cease-fire propaganda puppet regimes government scholars responsible Jihad disgraced sleeping Ummah Protest fight oppression Muslims dying Quran allies with kuffar fear Allah
Added: January 7, 2009