The late Tony Benn in the years when he left parliament in order to devote his time to politics devised five questions to ask anyone who exercises power. They were these:
- What power have you got?
- Where did you get it from?
- In whose interests do you exercise it?
- To whom are you accountable?
- And how can we get rid of you?
'If you cannot get rid of the people who govern you, you do not live in a democratic system’, he said. These questions are worth considering vis-à-vis the CILIP Governance Review proposals. Suppose the proposals for a third of the seats on Council to be appointed, rather than elected, were agreed, how would the unelected councillors answer these questions?