Go Lean Commentary
Of the 30 member-states that constitute the Caribbean, the highest count of the 4 language groups is English – 18 territories. The British eco-system assimilated these 18 lands with the English language, culture, commerce and systems of governance.
This commentary is Part 2 of a 6-part series from the movement behind the book Go Lean … Caribbean in consideration of the First Steps for instituting a new regime in governance for the Caribbean homeland. The other commentaries in the series are cataloged as follows:
- First Steps: EU – Free European Money – To Start at Top
- First Steps: UK – Dignified and Efficient
- First Steps: US – Congressional Interstate Compacts – No Vote; No Voice
- First Steps: CariCom – One-Man-One-Vote Defects
- First Steps: Deputize ‘Me’!
- First Steps: A Powerful C.P.U.
All of these commentaries relate to “how” the Caribbean can finally get started with adapting the organizational structures to optimize the region’s societal engines. This is the consideration of leading from the Top. This would apply to the Anglophone Caribbean, who all operate on constitutional structures based on the English Constitution or Westminster. But there are lessons for all the Caribbean, as we can glean how the Go Lean roadmap can reform and transform the Caribbean member-states so that they can be better places to live, work and play.
So looking at the British model for governance – where Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State – means considering the concepts of “the Dignified and the Efficient”, as defined in the book The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot:
What was crucial, he [(Bagehot)] insisted, was to understand the difference between the ‘dignified parts’ of the constitution and the ‘efficient parts’ (admitting that they were not ‘separable with microscopic accuracy’). The former ‘excite and preserve the reverence of the population’, the latter are ‘those by which it, in fact, works and rules’.
England had a ‘double set’ of institutions – the dignified ones ‘impress the many’ while the efficient ones ‘govern the many’. The dignified or ‘theatrical’ parts of the system played the essential role of winning and sustaining the loyalty and confidence of the mass of ordinary people whose political capacities were minimal or non-existent they helped the state to gain authority and legitimacy, which the efficient institutions could then use. Bagehot was an unashamed elitist who believed bleakly that the ‘lower orders’ and the ‘middle orders’ were ‘narrow-minded, unintelligent, incurious’. Throughout The English Constitution, there are references to ‘the coarse, dull, contracted multitude’, ‘the poor and stupid’, ‘the vacant many’, ‘the clownish mass’.
The dignified parts of the constitution were complicated, imposing, old and venerable; but the efficient parts were simple and modern. The ‘efficient secret’ at the heart of it all was ‘the close union’ and ‘nearly complete fusion’ of executive and legislative powers in the Cabinet – the ‘board of control’ which rules the nation. ‘The use of the Queen, in a dignified capacity, is incalculable’, opened the chapters of the book dealing with the monarchy. It acted as a ‘disguise’ and strengthened the government through its combination of mystique and pageantry. He famously summed up the monarch’s role as involving ‘the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn’. – Source.
Under the British system, there is a lot of pomp-and-pageantry – theatrics. This is the sphere of the monarchy, as the Royal Family performs all the ceremonial functionality – think: launching ships, grand openings, receiving ambassadors, etc.. The government – Cabinet, Prime Minister’s Office, etc. – on the other hand perform the governing efficiency – there is a separation-of-powers between “the Dignified and the Efficient”. There is advantage to a structure of delivery specialization; it allows for laser-focus and minimal distractions. This is the beauty of a technocracy.
The book Go Lean…Caribbean – available to download for free – serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), for the elevation of Caribbean society – for all member-states. The book (Page 64) cited the model of monarchies in the design of this Trade Federation:
Model of Constitutional Monarchy
Despite hundreds of years of government evolutions with the Republic system, there are still many modern democracies that maintain constitutional monarchies (i.e. UK, Netherlands, Spain & Canada). Their preference is justified in the logic where a President may only be respected by his party. Rather, a technocratic monarch (King or Queen) must transcend party politics and rule for the betterment of all subjects. (Queen Elizabeth II has ruled for 60 years out of a sense of duty).
A political climate is simply inescapable, with classic democracies – see the VIDEO on the Queen wielding apolitical power in the Appendix below. The goal of the Go Lean/CU roadmap is simply to govern better, to be …
… Apolitical – Loved by All
Partisan politics can lead to scenarios where politicians refuse to execute their constitutional mandates; just out of spite of each other …. Even worst, when political sides are so polarized, dreaded consequences can ensue, like civil wars (think: US conflict over slavery in 1860). A technocracy seeks a better governing system, one in which the administration is apolitical and therefore the potential to be loved by all; or equally despised by all (think: Greek Austerity in 2012). Thus, technocracies are more patriotic than political.
Considering “Dignified” versus “Efficient”, there is no “dignified” role with the CU structure, just apolitical efficiency. The pomp-and-pageantry remains with the member-states. Overall, this Go Lean/CU roadmap seeks to deliver on just one efficient charter, to elevate Caribbean society; this is expressed as a prime directives, with these 3 statements:
- Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.
- Establishment of a security apparatus to ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
- Improvement of Caribbean governance to support these engines, including our own separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies. Any existence of Dignified would be found at member-states; the CU is only efficient.
The book stresses that reforming and transforming the Caribbean societal engines must be a regional pursuit. This was an early motivation for the roadmap, as pronounced in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 12 – 13):
xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.
xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.
xxiii. Whereas many countries in our region are dependent Overseas Territory of imperial powers, the systems of governance can be instituted on a regional and local basis, rather than requiring oversight or accountability from distant masters far removed from their subjects of administration. The Federation must facilitate success in autonomous rule by sharing tools, systems and teamwork within the geographical region.
xxiv. Whereas a free market economy can be induced and spurred for continuous progress, the Federation must install the controls to better manage aspects of the economy: jobs, inflation, savings rate, investments and other economic principles. Thereby attracting direct foreign investment because of the stability and vibrancy of our economy.
Reforming and transforming the Caribbean member-states means including the governing stakeholders for all Anglophone territories. Of the 18, 17 require some interaction with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office – see Appendix below – to enact new laws; (Trinidad & Tobago is now a Republic). Imagine the challenge of this UK Commonwealth Office … now … and over the last 5 decades. They have had to manage both the “Dignified” and the “Efficient” for all the British territories in the Caribbean and watch one territory after another pursue independence.
Note: Governor Generals in the independent countries, despite the official job descriptions of representing the Head of State – The Queen – do not actually report directly to the Queen, but rather to this UK Commonwealth Office. See this functionality of the UK Commonwealth outreach in this Press Release here:
Press Release: PM to call for revitalised Commonwealth at reception ahead of 2018 Heads of Government Meeting
Posted 19 September 2017 – From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
The Prime Minister will co-host a reception for Commonwealth leaders tonight in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York where she will set out the need for a wholesale revitalisation of the Commonwealth if it is to thrive and serve its 2.4 billion citizens into the 21st century.
She will also launch the theme for the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – Towards a Common Future – and set out the four main goals for the summit, due to be held in the UK next spring:
- prosperity: boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment
- security: increasing cooperation across security challenges including global terrorism, organised crime and cyber attacks
- fairness: promoting democracy, fundamental freedoms and good governance across the Commonwealth
- sustainability: building the resilience of small and vulnerable states to deal with the effects of climate change and other global crises
The biggest meeting of Heads of Government the UK has ever hosted, the summit will take place in iconic venues in London and Windsor including Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle from 16-20 April 2018. It will bring together up to 52 Commonwealth leaders, up to 52 Foreign Ministers and thousands of people from across business and civil society, representing the Commonwealth’s vibrant and diverse global network.
Also speaking at the reception will be co-host Prime Minister Muscat of Malta as the current Commonwealth chair, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, and youth representatives drawn from across the Commonwealth who will help to deliver the Commonwealth Youth Forum at next year’s summit.
In her speech, the Prime Minister will outline the need for the Commonwealth to have a clearer purpose, and be better able to address the global challenges we face. With 60% of its population under 30, she will also talk about the need for the Commonwealth to respond to the concerns and priorities of its young people.
Speaking ahead of the reception, the Prime Minister said:
As the world changes, so must the Commonwealth if it is to rise to the new challenges that the 21st century presents. It is the responsibility of all members to ensure we are working together towards a common future that will meet the needs of all our peoples, particularly our youth. I look forward to this unique organisation coming together at next year’s Heads of Government Meeting to pursue an ambitious agenda for a more prosperous, secure, fair and sustainable future for everyone.
Source: Retrieved January 18, 2018 from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-to-call-for-revitalised-commonwealth-at-reception-ahead-of-2018-heads-of-government-meeting
While we appreciate London’s efforts, the Caribbean is proposing its own Way Forward with the CU as part of a new regime.
The Go Lean book provides 370-pages of turn-by-turn instructions for a Way Forward, a guide on “how” to adopt new community ethos, plus the strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to execute so as to reboot, reform and transform the societal engines of Caribbean society. One advocacy in the book is entitled “10 Ways to Impact British Territories“; this allows for the delivery of best practices to introduce the new CU regime. London would be considered an “overseas master” for Caribbean stewardship. While the UK is one of the biggest (richest) economies in the world, British economic prosperity has not always extended to these islands. Though they do not need the CU to impact the United Kingdom – notwithstanding the Diaspora living there – there is the need for this CU treaty to impact efficiency of all the Anglophone nations and Overseas Territories.
The Go Lean/CU roadmap does not override the sovereignty of the 30 member-states. So this foregoing Dignified role continues. The CU is simply a deputized agency for delivering the apolitical efficiency of the Social Contract.
According to the Go Lean book (Page 96), the roadmap calls for the functionality of “assembling” all the regional stakeholders in the Caribbean into the Trade Federation, including the “overseas masters” during the first year of the confederation plan. We cannot just consider Europe as a singularity. No, for the United Kingdom has voted to divorce themselves from the European Union construct.
So we want to make our homeland a better place to live, work and play, and our “overseas masters” want our Caribbean nations to be elevated, all we need now is the “will and the way”. We urge all to lean-in to this roadmap for change and empowerment. 🙂
Download the free e-Book of Go Lean … Caribbean – now!
Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.
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Appendix – UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), commonly called the Foreign Office, is a department – [agency to exercise executive authority] – of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for protecting and promoting British interests worldwide. It was created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.
The head of the FCO is the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly abbreviated to “Foreign Secretary” (currently Boris Johnson, who took office on 13 July 2016). This is regarded as one of the four most prestigious positions in the Cabinet– the Great Offices of State – alongside those of Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary.
The FCO is managed from day to day by a civil servant, the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who also acts as the Head of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service. This position is held by Sir Simon McDonald, who took office on 1 September 2015.
Source: Wikipedia Online Reference retrieved January 18, 2018 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_government_departments
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Appendix VIDEO – What Powers Does the Queen of England Actually Have? – https://youtu.be/wiDCwqpupj8
Published on Jul 21, 2017 – A short while ago we wrote about the fact Queen Elizabeth II needs neither a passport nor driving license thanks to a quirk of British law. But what other powers does the Queen of many titles have and what could she theoretically do if she decided to flex the full might of the authority she wields? As it turns out, thanks to the Royal Prerogative, a terrifying amount if she really felt like it, or, at least, assuming parliament went by the letter of the law and they and the people didn’t decide to stage a little revolt.
- Category: Education
- License: Standard YouTube License