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May 28, 2009
Radical Contenders
In the midst of an onslaught of expenses scandals in Westminster, the party leaders are competing to become the radical reformist needed to save the public from their members’ shopping sprees.
While Gordon Brown has not yet come round to Alan Johnson’s proposals of a referendum on PR, he is talking about a constitutional convention which would include electoral reform as one of the matters to be discussed. Nick Clegg is waving the flag for the Lib Dems, shouting we’ve bloomin’ supported it all along! David Cameron – for all his rhetoric in The Times yesterday claiming, “We need a massive, sweeping, radical redistribution of power” – maintains his allegiance with the current FPTP system: “Proportional representation takes power away from the man and woman in the street and hands it to the political elites,” he said, claiming it would lead to governments being formed in back rooms.
Cameron was (albeit wispily) highlighting the tendency for coalition governments to form under PR systems. Although under PR governments may not always be elected by a strong majority, this is superfluous to the fact that voters’ opinions are being fairly represented. And so what if parties have to find a middle-ground on policy or negotiate taxes? It’s a small price to pay for a fairly elected government and, if anything, this will enhance democracy by providing a much needed check on those in power.
Many Labour members are still sceptical: Jack Straw, alongside Harriet Harman, believes that a referendum on PR could lead to ‘confusion’.
I recently explained to a friend of mine the differences between First-Past-the-Post and PR, and she had no trouble understanding the difference: she simply hadn’t had it explained to her before.
If Brown and Cameron are going to be perceived as either radical or reformist, they need to promote democracy – this includes publicising the difference between election systems, as well as parties and candidates. Voters can only find something confusing if they’ve never been told about it; and it is Parliament’s job to inform voters of all their options.
Posted by rachelsursham on May 28, 2009
