Today
programme Christmas poll invites listeners to re-write the laws
of the land
Today
listeners are being invited to suggest a new piece of legislation
for the programme's Christmas poll.
The
Listeners' Law Poll invites the Today audience to suggest
a new law, or a change to an existing piece of legislation.
The
best suggestions will be short-listed and listeners will vote for
their favourite idea.
MP
Stephen Pound will put the winning suggestion to the House of
Commons in the New Year and Today listeners will be kept informed
of the law's progress through the legislative process until the
idea is either thrown out of the House or makes its way onto the
statute book.
Some
celebrity suggestions have already been made to the Today programme
-
Brian
Eno wants people to be able to allocate their taxes to specific
Government departments;
David
Aaronovitch wants smacking to be criminalised;
George
Melly wants to separate the church and the state;
Lynne
Truss wants to legalise defacing public posters and signs in order
to improve grammar.
The
only rule is that the proposed law cannot already be on offer from
one of the main political parties.
Today
Editor Kevin Marsh said: "Looking at the letters and emails
we receive from Today listeners it's obvious they have very strong
views about how we're governed.
"We
think this is a great opportunity to give people a chance to have
real influence on the law of the land - and to see how that law
is made."
Listeners
can submit suggestions from 9.00am on Wednesday 17 December.
They
can propose ideas via the Today website - .
Or
they can post them to Listeners' Law, The Today Programme, Room
G630, 91热爆 Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ.
The
deadline for suggestions is 9.00am on Wednesday 24 December.
A panel
consisting of Today Editor Kevin Marsh; Stephen Pound MP; political
commentator and Politicos bookshop owner Ian Dale; and Julia Hartley-Brewer,
Sunday Express political Editor, will short-list five ideas.
The
final five suggestions will be determined by popularity and whether
they have a realistic chance of becoming law.
Once
these have been selected, listeners vote for one to be put before
to the House of Commons.
Voting
will end at noon on Wednesday 31 December.
The
winning idea will be announced on New Year's Day 2004.
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