Independent government institutions in your country

[Martinus]

One of the bigger complaints/issues with the PiS government in Poland is that they are using Parliamentary majority to change laws by making many central government institutions more subordinate to the government and/or the parliamentary majority. However, I was wondering how such things are set in other countries, including more mature democracies, such as the US, Canada or Western Europe.

Just to be clear I am not talking here about legislative or judicial bodies, but things like public broadcasters, antitrust watchdog, the ombudsman, the central bank etc. - how independent are they in your countries from the government/the parliamentary majority?

[Liep]

Very. The politicians continually try to affect the public broadcasters but are mostly ridiculed for even trying, a recent trend though is to just ignore the ombudsman and they seem to get away with that.

[Norgy]

The ombudsmann offices are mostly there to control the rest of the government apparatus, and include childrens' rights and public spending, and I'd say it's one of the things I'm most proud of about our political system.
The broadcasting corporation is always lambasted for being left wing, and the current government wants to dismantle it. But there's an ombudsmann there too, the Broadcasting Council, which has requested "more right wing satire programs". I kid thee not.
The central bank is probably the most recent independent institution. Up until the 1990s, the central bank's interest rate was set by the parliamentary majority. 

[Liep]

The broadcasting corporation is always lambasted for being left wing, and the current government wants to dismantle it. But there's an ombudsmann there too, the Broadcasting Council, which has requested "more right wing satire programs". I kid thee not.

We really are quite alike.

Funnily enough, I think 4-5 of the recent jounalists-from-public-broadcaster-gone-politicians have all joined a right wing party.

[Martinus]

The ombudsmann offices are mostly there to control the rest of the government apparatus, and include childrens' rights and public spending, and I'd say it's one of the things I'm most proud of about our political system.
The broadcasting corporation is always lambasted for being left wing, and the current government wants to dismantle it. But there's an ombudsmann there too, the Broadcasting Council, which has requested "more right wing satire programs". I kid thee not.
The central bank is probably the most recent independent institution. Up until the 1990s, the central bank's interest rate was set by the parliamentary majority. 

So, how is their independence ensured? Who elects them?

[celedhring]

In Spain, they belong to the same tier as Santaclaus or the Tooth Fairy. Actually, scratch that, some people at least believe in Santaclaus or the Tooth Fairy.

It's pretty sad, really. Almost every government body or office is seen as a tool to either push the ruling party's agenda, or as a place to reward loyalists with a fat payday. It's one of the worst problems we have as a democracy.

[crazy canuck]

One of the bigger complaints/issues with the PiS government in Poland is that they are using Parliamentary majority to change laws by making many central government institutions more subordinate to the government and/or the parliamentary majority. However, I was wondering how such things are set in other countries, including more mature democracies, such as the US, Canada or Western Europe.

Just to be clear I am not talking here about legislative or judicial bodies, but things like public broadcasters, antitrust watchdog, the ombudsman, the central bank etc. - how independent are they in your countries from the government/the parliamentary majority?

In our Parliamentary tradition there is a significant amount of independence for offices that report to Parliament (or the Legislature in the case of the Provinces).  Those office holders report to Parliament as a whole, not the government, and so there is often friction between those office holders and the government.  A good high profile example in our system is the office of the Auditor General who releases scathing reports detailing government waste and inefficiency.  However there are other semi-autonomous actors, like crown corporations, which are technically separate from government but which are influenced by government largely because the majority of Directors who sit on those Boards are appointed by government.

There is a long tradition that the central bank must not only be independent but must be seen to be independent.  Regulators, like antitrust and taxation enforcers are under the direct control of a minister of the government.  But their actions are governed by statute and at a high level the rule of law.  So if there is any inappropriate government interference those affected can gain recourse through the courts.

[Zanza]

My impression is that most of these institutions in Germany are very independent from the current administration. There is a big consensus between the parties to leave them more or less alone. That said, all of these institutions are very much loyal to the establishment, i.e. whoever leads them will be centrist Social or Christian democrat or at least unpolitically. If there would be someone with non-mainstream views, they would replace him. The exception are public broadcasters, which are more directly influenced by having lots of politicians in their supervisory boards.

[Syt]

The exception are public broadcasters, which are more directly influenced by having lots of politicians in their supervisory boards.

Even there you have some safeguards, especially with the ARD which is made up of regional broadcasters influenced by state level governments.

The Bundesbank in pre-Euro times was very independent, often to the frustration of governments.

[The Brain]

I don't know exactly how independent they are in Sweden. It's not like the government advertises its illegal meddling.

[viper37]

However, I was wondering how such things are set in other countries, including more mature democracies, such as the US, Canada or Western Europe.

Just to be clear I am not talking here about legislative or judicial bodies, but things like public broadcasters, antitrust watchdog, the ombudsman, the central bank etc. - how independent are they in your countries from the government/the parliamentary majority?

In theory: they are kept at arms length from the government.  In practice, the government keeps close control on everything, even the judiciary element as of the last election.

[crazy canuck]

However, I was wondering how such things are set in other countries, including more mature democracies, such as the US, Canada or Western Europe.

Just to be clear I am not talking here about legislative or judicial bodies, but things like public broadcasters, antitrust watchdog, the ombudsman, the central bank etc. - how independent are they in your countries from the government/the parliamentary majority?

In theory: they are kept at arms length from the government.  In practice, the government keeps close control on everything, even the judiciary element as of the last election.

[viper37]

The Government has asked judges on the immigration commission named by the Conservatives to resign, as if they were simple bureaucrats.  They are looking for scapegoats since they did not fulfill their promise of 25k Syrian refugees by Dec 31st.