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COMMENT | This is why the Prime Minister’s Question Time (PMQT) in Parliament is important.

If we could have 30 minutes every parliamentary week for any MP to ask the prime minister questions he’s forced to answer, the government will be more accountable and responsive to the people. Allocate six questions to the opposition, since it has the political incentive to find shortcomings in the government, and with this, we might get real answers.

The heart of a functioning democracy is accountability, and its stage, the Parliament. PMQT will be the highlight of every session, and the peak of accountability is when the leader of the government could be asked any question, without prior notice or preparation, and it would be answered honestly. All political posturing, rhetorical smokes-and-mirrors will be bygones.

If done properly, the platform is invaluable. When Jeremy Corbyn of the UK Labour Party was first elected as the Leader of the Opposition, he asked the prime minister questions from the emails and letters he’s received from voters. Corbyn essentially used the Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ in the UK) platform as a place where ordinary voters could directly question the prime minister and get answers...


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