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Ming Campbell responds on voting reform

The first of the LibDem leadership contenders to reply to our open letter on prioritising voting reform is Ming Campbell. His response is published below.  When we hear back from the other two - Simon Hughes and Chris Huhne - we'll publish their responses too.  In the meantime, thanks to a BBC News 24 hustings, we do know each candidate's position on how they would approach a hung parliament and how they might push PR in such a situation.

Dear David,

Thank you for your letter of 1 February. I apologise for the delay in responding. As you can imagine, my postbag and inbox are rather fuller than usual.

I believe that implementing PR should be a top priority for a Liberal Democrat government. This is why electoral reform is a key element of the policy themes outlined on my website www.campbellcampaign.org

As your letter points out, we elect our national parliament using a voting system that ensures the majority of voters in this country are little more than bystanders as all the parties target a tiny number of swing voters. Little wonder that our citizens prefer to channel their energies into single issue campaigns than work through political parties.

I am proud of the way in which we insisted on a fairer and more effective form of electoral system for Scotland and Wales, first in the Cook/Maclennan agreement and then in the devolution legislation. My colleagues in the Scottish Parliament have been very determined - and now successful - in taking the case for electoral reform a step further. The recent recommendations of the independent Arbuthnott Commission owe much to Liberal Democrat pressure, and the logic of our argument. With electoral reform for Council elections already under way, the Commission reported that, for the Commons, "the case for introducing a more proportional system for those elections is now very strong."

We need to apply our successful experience in Scotland to the UK Parliament. I am unswerving in my support of electoral reform at Westminster.

Yours sincerely,

Sir Menzies Campbell

Posted: 15/02/06

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