Ancient & modern
Mr Blair has promised to 'listen to the people'. Would a Roman-style nibunus plebis. 'tribune of the plebs', help him to do so? The early years of the Roman republic (traditional foundation date 509 BC) were characterised by stormy relationships between the ruling patrician families and the non-patrician plebs. In 494 BC the plebs set up their own assembly, separate from the patrician Senate, and appointed their first tribunes `to counter the power of the consuls' (Cicero). In time this plebeian assembly with its tribunes became fully assimilated into the republican system; decisions of the plebs became binding on the whole population, and the tribunes were installed as members of the Senate with the power of veto over any Senate business, Polybius, the second-century BC Greek historian of Rome, says of these tribunes; 'They are bound to do what the people resolve and chiefly to focus on their wishes'.
A dramatic example of tribunicial power is offered by Tiberius Gracchus. As Rome had conquered its neighbours across Italy, it had annexed their territory as ager publicus — 'state-owned land'. Here the Romans built new cities, or assigned, sold or rented the land to individuals who applied to work it (a grant of land was a much-prized reward for military service). No one was entitled to own more than 300 acres, but this law had been widely ignored, and wealthy aristocrats had come to monopolise the land.
In 133 BC, Tiberius proposed to revive the law. The land thus released would be distributed among the poor, going some way to alleviating the serious economic problems that they were then facing. Tiberius took the measure directly to the plebs, without submitting it to the aristocrat-packed Senate for approval — as he was entitled to. But there his fellow tribune Octavius vetoed the proposal, which was subsequently taken to the Senate and rejected. Since the measure was clearly popular (and long overdue), Tiberius took the unprecedented step of going back to the assembly of plebs and proposing that Octavius be removed from office for not fulfilling his duty to act in the people's interests. Octavius was removed, and the measure passed.
The aristocrats took a violent revenge. When Tiberius attempted to stand for tribune next year in 132 BC, a mob of senators clubbed him and his supporters to death. Mr Blair may therefore decide against a tribunus plebis; the risk that (s)he might do something the people wanted would be far too high, leaving him little alternative. . .
Peter Jones
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