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October 24, 2006
The word according to Straw
On reading yesterday’s leaked report from the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons on reform of the upper chamber, I was struck by several of the observations. Clearly with this not being “a statement of Government policy” one can only read so far into the detail but given Jack Straw’s knack of “unveiling” his views and engaging in the policy debate by means both formal and informal (see Lancashire Telegraph), some weight can no doubt be attached to these ideas.
I enjoyed Annex A with its comparison of the "options for the method of elections, timings of elections and constituencies for the House”. Weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of STV, a key disadvantage of STV was noted as follows:
Individuals elected may view themselves as having a ‘more democratic’ mandate – risks undermining the relationship between the Houses.
Perish the thought. The gist of this observation seems to be that the House of Lords should not be made more democratic through reform because such a move threatens to highlight just how iniquitous is the electoral system for the House of Commons. Solution? Keep a dodgy electoral system for both Houses.
On a different tangent Mr Straw seemed to offer some hope for Republicans with his stated desire to eradicate “the hereditary principle”. As he observed:
In a modern democracy it is unacceptable that individuals still qualify for a seat in Parliament on the basis of their ancestry.
A shot across the boughs of Buckingham Palace perchance? Should the corgis prepare for a move to less salubrious surrounds?
The trouble with any of these documents is that the principles propounded tend to lack a generic quality. It reminds me of a recent conversation with a candidate for the forthcoming Scottish elections. His sentiment was that STV for local elections was all very well but that such a system was simply unsuitable for electing the sacred House of Commons. It’s time for politicians to commit more honestly to the process of democratic renewal in the UK. Reforms that make electoral systems fairer and more representative of the views of the people should not be scorned because they do not sit comfortably with vested interests and existing power bases. Alas, it remains to be seen what will become of these points of discussion from the Cross Party Working Group on House of Lords Reform….
Posted by davidorr on October 24, 2006
