This is the draft constitution for Your Party, which will be registered with the Electoral Commission in due course. We have a constitution so that it's clear how the party is structured, how it makes decisions, what its rules are, and how those can be changed. It's a bit of a dry and longish read, but we hope it's reasonably clear. You can give us feedback on it either by leaving a comment on it on this web page (below), or by emailing us at info@yourparty.org.
Your Party Constitution
A: Name
The political party described in this Constitution is named Your Party and first came together as an organisation in 2004.
B: Beliefs and Aims
Your Party believes that:
- Popular involvement in the decision making process will lead to better and more legitimate decisions;
- Elected representatives should serve the interests of their electorates;
- Informed and responsible decision making is the key to an effective democratic process.
- Promote better decisions and legislation at all levels of government;
- Enable positive change at all levels of society;
- Encourage greater efficiency and effectiveness in all state and governmental bodies;
- Gain representation for its members at all levels of government - local, national and European;
- Generate innovative new ideas and solutions from informed and constructive debate;
- Involve its members and the population as a whole in the political and governmental system while giving them information and tools to get the best out of it.
C: Your Party Objectives
C1. Your Party seeks to advance its beliefs and aims at every level of decision making. It will work outside as well as inside existing political structures and encourage people and communities to seek political power.
C2. Your Party strives to translate its beliefs and aims into policies and programmes which will be kept under review to ensure that they meet the changing circumstances of the modern world. Your Party believes this is best achieved by an open, informed debate on the issues involved, engaging the membership at all stages of policy development.
C3. In order to put its policies into effect, Your Party will seek to identify suitable candidates from among its membership to stand for public office. It will support these candidates with briefings and training and by improving political campaigning methods.
C4. From time to time Your Party may campaign on specific issues, and in doing so it may make common cause with other groups and organisations whose aims are compatible.
C5. Your Party is an open and outward looking organisation, always seeking new members, new ideas and new methods of engaging with its members.
D: Basis of Membership
D1. Membership of Your Party is open to all UK residents and UK nationals abroad.
D2. Membership of the Your Party shall be available on application to Your Party, subject to any terms and conditions of membership.
D3. The Your Party Board may decide to set variable rates of subscription for members and to vary the rights afforded to members accordingly. Any such proposals will be subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
D4. Your Party members have the right to disagree with any aspect of Your Party policy. However, those who stand for public office have a special responsibility to think through their disagreement and in their campaigning to make clear the difference between Your Party’s policy and their own view.
E: Rights of Members
All members of Your Party have the following rights, which are to be respected and upheld by other members and by all the bodies functioning under this Constitution:
a) to be offered equal opportunity to participate in the activities of Your Party, and not to be excluded by the deliberate withholding of information or by other unfair means. This does not preclude the establishment of varying levels (and rights) of membership to be recommended annually by the Your Party Board and approved at the AGM, provided that members within each category of membership shall be afforded equality of opportunity;b) to have such details about themselves as may be held by Your Party kept confidential and not disclosed to any other person without their permission;
F: Refusal or Revocation of Membership and Disputes among Members
F1. Membership of Your Party may be refused or revoked by any two members of the Your Party Board where there is misconduct that is deemed to bring Your Party or any of its activities into disrepute. Any such revocation or refusal of membership shall be reported to the next Your Party Board meeting
F2. Members of Your Party who fail to comply with Government legislation relating to political parties and elections, automatically and immediately forfeit their membership of Your Party without appeal. After the election in question any such person may re-apply for membership and, if the application is refused, may appeal according to the procedure in clause F3.
F3. Anyone whose membership is refused or revoked may appeal in writing to the Party Chair who shall take reasonable steps to ascertain the full facts of the case. The case will then be referred to the Your Party Board, whose decision shall be final. A person whose membership has been refused or revoked may not apply for membership again until one year has passed.
F4. In any dispute between members or groups of members efforts must first be made to resolve the matter at the most practical level. If this has proved impossible the dispute may be referred to the Your Party Board for resolution.
G: Your Party referenda
G1. Members shall be entitled to vote in Your Party referenda, subject to the conditions and schedule of membership agreed annually at the AGM.
G2. Referenda shall be held on all major changes in Your Party policy and on all major new activities planned. Referenda may be called either by a majority vote of the Your Party Board or by a petition of 1% of the Your Party voting membership (or 50 voting members, whichever is the greater), to be submitted to the Party Chair.
G3. The Your Party Board shall approve the questions to be put to any referendum. The Board shall be responsible for providing information on the issues to be decided in any referendum to the membership. The board should use all practicable efforts to present information on a fair and impartial basis.
G4. The Your Party Board may make arrangements for the provision of resources to groups of members who wish to campaign on the issues put forward in the referendum. Any such resources shall be allocated on a fair and equal basis.
G5. Any referendum shall be decided using the Alternative Transferable Vote system as defined by the Electoral Reform Society. The Your Party Board shall be responsible for appointing a Returning Officer for any vote, who shall ensure that the result of the vote is fair and accurate. The Returning Officer shall not vote. The Returning Officer shall be entitled to take disciplinary action against any member who s/he believes may be attempting to defraud or unfairly influence the referendum.
G6. In the event of any fraud or reasonable suspicion of fraud the Returning Officer shall take such steps as s/he deems necessary to ensure the integrity of the vote up to and including declaring the result of the referendum null and void (in this instance another referendum on the same issue shall be held as soon as is reasonable).
G7. Challenges to the decisions of the Returning Officer shall be made in writing to the Party Chair. The decisions of the Returning Officer may only be overturned by a two-thirds majority of a vote of the Your Party Board.
G8. Once an issue has been decided on at a referendum the result shall be binding on all members and officers of Your Party. The result of the vote shall be the policy of Your Party and shall be binding on all Your Party activities for a period of one year. The result of the vote may only be challenged in that year if:
a) There is a vote on that issue in any assembly where Your Party has representation;b) There is a material change in circumstance affecting the issue in question;
A request for such a challenge may be put in writing to the Party Chair, who shall raise the matter at the next Your Party Board.The result shall continue to be Your Party policy after this year unless another referendum is called as per the provisions laid out in G2.
G9. Party policy shall consist only of resolutions passed at referenda. Such other election manifestos and policy statements as may be produced by Your Party from time to time shall not contradict Your Party policy but may discuss, explain, promote or amplify it.
H: The Your Party Board (YPB)
H1. The Your Party Board (YPB) shall consist of the Party Chair (elected once a year at the Your Party AGM using the Alternative Transferable Vote) plus eight other members elected once every year at the party AGM using the Single Transferable Vote. The first Your Party Board shall be made up of volunteers co-opted by the party founders and shall hold office until the first AGM in May 2005.
H2. Any casual vacancy amongst members of the YPB shall remain unfilled. The YPB may co-opt members to fill vacant roles in an advisory capacity until the next AGM.
H3. The Party Chair shall be the Leader for the purposes of the regulations laid out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000. The Party Chair shall be responsible for upholding the constitution, beliefs and aims of Your Party. The Party Chair shall endeavour to remain independent in all internal party matters and to present a positive image of Your Party to the wider public.
H4. At the first meeting of the Your Party Board following the AGM, the Your Party Board shall elect individuals to perform the roles of Treasurer and Nominations officer (as required by the PPERA 2000) from its membership. The Board shall then decide on the roles and responsibilities of each of its members and publicise these to the Your Party membership.
H5. The YPB may elect or appoint such committees as it decides are necessary, and shall specify the extent to which its powers are delegated to each committee.
H6. The YPB directs the work of Your Party, and is responsible for implementing Your Party’s Objectives. In particular, the YPB shall:
a) be responsible for the organisation and finances of the Party;b) determine Party priorities and approve the annual budget for income and expenditure;
c) initiate and progress campaigns and political action;
d) keep Your Party members informed of any upcoming votes in Parliament and any other relevant assemblies;
e) develop Your Party’s political strategy;
f) receive regular reports on Your Party’s finances from the Treasurer;
g) ensure that Your Party policy is regularly reviewed;
h) determine questions which should be decided by Your Party referenda;
i) propose membership subscription fees (and any resulting variation in the rights of members) to the Annual General Meeting;
j) approve the arrangements for the selection of official Your Party candidates for election to public office;
k) establish such organisations within Your Party as are necessary to facilitate productive debate on policies and issues;
l) approve the affiliation of other organisations to Your Party.
H7. The YPB is responsible for deciding Standing Orders for meetings.
H8. The Your Party Board shall meet at least twice a month, as and when is required for the good administration of Your Party. The quorum for the Your Party Board shall be 50% plus one of its current membership.
H9. Any member of the Your Party Board may be suspended from office by either a petition of 10% of the total membership or a motion of no-confidence passed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Your Party Board. The matter shall then be put to a Your Party Referendum. In the event that the referendum result is that Your Party has no confidence in the aforesaid member, they shall be removed from office (otherwise they shall be reinstated with immediate effect).
H10. There shall be an Interim Board, nominated by the party founders. They shall hold office until the 2005 AGM, and shall have the right to exercise all the powers of the Your Party Board.
I: Annual General Meeting
I1. The Your Party Annual General Meeting shall be held each year by the fourth week in May at the latest. The first Your Party AGM shall be held in May 2005. The functions of AGM are:
a) to receive a report from the YPB on its work;b) to consider any motions;
c) to receive audited accounts and a report from the Treasurer;
d) to decide on the membership subscriptions and affiliation fees proposed by the YPB;
e) to elect the Party Chair for the next year;
f) to elect the Your Party Board for the next year.
I2. The Your Party Annual General Meeting shall be presided over by an independent chair, who shall be nominated by the Your Party Board. S/he shall act as Returning Officer for the election of the Party Chair and other members of the Party Board.
I3. The deadline for the submission of motions and nominations for the Your Party Board shall be publicised to all members at least two calendar months prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting. Nominations must remain open for at least two weeks.
I4. All members shall be allowed to attend the Annual General Meeting, provided they pay a sum as determined by the Your Party Board to cover the costs of the event. In the event a member does not wish to, or cannot attend the AGM they shall be entitled to vote by proxy. Fair and reasonable arrangements for the casting of proxy votes shall be publicised by the Your Party Board alongside the deadline for the submission of motions and nominations.
I5. The standing orders for the Annual General Meeting shall be as recommended by the Your Party Board and approved by a Your Party referendum.
I6. Any decisions of the Annual General Meeting shall take precedence over any previous decision and shall be binding until the next AGM.
I7. A Special General Meeting may be called on a single specific issue by a two-thirds majority of the Your Party Board or a petition of 5% of the membership. The Special General Meeting shall be notified to all members and shall be held no less than two weeks and no more than six weeks after notification. The provisions laid out in I4 shall apply equally to SGMs. The resolution of the Special General Meeting shall be binding on Your Party until challenged at an AGM.
J: The Finances of Your Party
J1. The finances of Your Party are the responsibility of the Your Party Board who, at their first meeting after Your Party’s Annual General Meeting, will elect a Treasurer (as set out in H4) who must keep a proper set of books and who has overall responsibility for the drawing and paying of monies and for all monetary transactions.
J2. The Treasurer has a place as of right on any committee appointed to oversee the finances of Your Party, and has a right to address any meeting of that committee, or the Your Party Board, on the financial implications of a proposal before the vote on that proposal is taken.
J3. At the end of each financial year Your Party’s accounts are to be audited by a qualified accountant appointed by the previous year’s Annual General Meeting and whose report is to be embodied in the annual accounts. The Annual General Meeting may resolve to delegate the appointment to the Your Party Board.
J4. The Your Party Board must agree a budget for each financial year and observe the restraints imposed by the budget, taking any action that may be necessary to contain excess of expenditure or manage any shortfall in income.
J5. This constitution specifically prohibits Your Party from borrowing money, secured or unsecured, by way of overdraft or loan without a two-thirds majority vote of the Your Party Board.
J6. In addition to the provisions laid out above, the Your Party Board shall also prepare and maintain a Financial Scheme (which shall detail the arrangements for the monitoring of donations) and Financial Regulations (which shall lay out Your Party’s internal financial procedures).
K: Candidates
K1. The Your Party Board is responsible for the system of candidate approval for elections to the UK and European Parliaments, as well as in any local government or devolved assembly elections.
K2. All Your Party candidates at any election must be paid up members of the Party, in accordance with the schedule agreed yearly at the Annual General Meeting.
K3. All members of Your Party may apply to become official candidates, but no member can become an official candidate until they have been properly approved under the rules established by the Your Party Board. No member may describe themselves as a Parliamentary candidate, or prospective candidate, unless they have been so approved.
K4. All Your Party candidates have the duty to promote the Beliefs and Aims of Your Party, as set out in this constitution. YP candidates and elected representatives must promote and adhere to all YP policies, particularly when voting in local, national or European assemblies.
K5. Elected representatives of Your Party will be immediately suspended from the party by the Party Chair if they clearly vote against YP policy in any local, regional, national or international assembly. They may appeal this decision to the Your Party Board who shall vote on whether the representative should be expelled on a simple majority basis. If the decision of the Party Chair to suspend the representative is not appealed within 14 days, they shall be deemed to have resigned from Your Party.
K6. Because of their public status, Your Party candidates in all elections have a special duty not to do or say anything that may bring Your Party into disrepute, a duty which, if they are elected, continues throughout their time in office.
L: Dissolution of Your Party
L1. Your Party may only be dissolved if a proposal to that effect is passed by both:
a) a three-quarters majority at a properly convened Special General Meeting; and subsequentlyb) a four-fifths majority in a Your Party referendum, provided that at least half of the entire membership vote in favour of the dissolution.
L2. The Your Party Referendum provided for in clause L1 must be completed within three months of the success of a dissolution motion at a Special General Meeting.
L3. Any proposal to dissolve Your Party must incorporate proposals for the disposal of the assets and records of Your Party.
L4. Section L of the Constitution may only be amended by a three-quarters majority at a Special General Meeting, followed by a four-fifths majority in a Your Party referendum, provided that at least half of the entire membership vote in favour of the amendment.
M: Amendments and Interpretation
M1. This Constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority of members voting in a Your Party referendum. Constitutional Amendments may be proposed by the Your Party Board or by a petition of 5% of the Your Party membership (or 50 members, whichever is the greater).
M2. If there is any question of interpretation of this Constitution, or if a matter arises where the Constitution is silent, the Party Chair shall give a ruling which may be reversed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Your Party Board.
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