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May 25, 2009
Quotes from prominent Labour party electoral reformers
There seems to be a misperception that Labour party activists and politicians are against electoral reform. Some are; many aren't. And especially amongst the younger generations and the 'Class of 2010', there is a real sense that changing the voting system is a necessary prerequisite to other changes they would like to see.
Here are a selection of Labour party figures who support reform, and in their own words why they do:
Jon Cruddas MP (quoted in Times)
“The way to do that is to introduce proportional representation and a system of fair votes to replace the current system, under which a few thousand swing votes have an armlock around the body politic,”
Cllr. Steven Purcell (Labour leader, Glasgow City Council, at MVC rally Labour Conference 2008):
Things tend to be tested in Scotland in the United Kingdom before anywhere else in the country. And electoral reform and constitutional reform is one of these things that are being tested in Scotland, and I have become convinced it has been a good thing. Ten years ago I argued against electoral reform. However, I have changed my mind as a direct experience of being a Labour Party member, a councillor and Scotland having the Scottish Parliament elected by proportional representation, and now local government elected by proportional representation.I think you actually get better government now under PR - in terms of national direction and in the quality of representatives which you get.
Overall, the message from Scotland is that electoral reform has empowered citizens, it’s taken power out of politicians and more power into the hands of voters, which should be a good thing. And it’s made the Labour Party in Scotland, particularly in a city like mine, that has been decades of Labour representation in heavy, heavy concentration, it’s made us have to really sharpen up our act as a party. We have to be in touch with a coalition of voters to get elected, we have to have the best of representation and all-year-round campaigning and engagement with community issues with our voters.
Rhodri Morgan (Leader, Welsh Labour)
Without winning in the west (of Wales), Labour cannot win Wales. The only way in which this is going to happen is through proportional representation – a form of election which would, undoubtedly, improve our representation in counties such as Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Ynys Môn and Gwynedd.
Jennette Arnold (Chair, Greater London Assembly)
"I’m absolutely an unapologetic enthusiast for electoral reform. Before the GLA I was committed to it, andnow that I have actually experienced it and had the debates on the doors I’ve seen what that means in terms of how you do politics. I just am so impatient for the opportunity for us to introduce a different mechanism by which we elect our representatives. It is about electing representatives that are going to be there representing the people who voted – a key to democracy."
Rushanara Ali – PPC for Bethnal Green and Bow (writing as director of the Young Foundation with Fiona MacTaggart and Geoff Mulgan):
"[we call for] a shift in the electoral system from the current first-past-the-post majoritarian system, which discourages the formation of new parties and puts a premium on contesting for the attention of a narrow group of swing voters, to one where the outcome more fairly reflects the desires of voters."
Chuka Umunna, PPC for Streatham (at Compass Conference 2008)
"I cannot tell you how important I think this issue is, because I think changing the voting system is not necessarily a panacea, it’s not going to change everything, but it really does go to the heart of what I think is wrong with our political culture here today… I have noticed about this issue is that it is something that the younger generations are very interested in and who are in favour of it. Often when I’ve been at Labour Party meetings talking about this it’s younger people in the audience who tend to really – that’s not to say older people aren’t into it, but younger people are quite interested in this and quite in favour of it and actually a lot of the younger politicians too, so maybe there is hope in the future."
Yasmin Qureshi, PPC for Bolton South East (at Compass Conference 2008)
"Political parties need to get their house in order. I think they need to encourage people to come onboard and I think if you get a much more diverse group of people coming into the political system then with a system of PR you’ve got a far more accurate representation society."
(with thanks to Michael Calderbank, ERS, for collating this)
Posted by malcolmclark on May 25, 2009
