Commons Reform Debate

Voting Reform in a recession

A common question we encounter is: "why should we care about constitutional reform during an economic downturn, when people have financial and other 'survival' issues to worry about?" Our response is that democracy and electoral reform are bread-and-butter issues. They are about power (who makes the decisions, who has access, how can things change) and accountability (who is responsible and how can I hold them responsible); and ensuring people have faith and are engaged in the system, rather than turning to scapegoats and extremism. Even Jack Straw has said "when people feel buffeted by events beyond their control, [it] is precisely the time to improve the way our constitution operates, so that people feel better connected with their government". So that's why this is an important issue.

Electoral reform: the change we need

Much has been written about the Obama campaign and lessons from America. The single biggest theme that has emerged is "how can we open up politics to make the changes that we wish to see?" This is about engaging people, reviving parties, bringing more voices into politics and into parliament. One way the electoral reform movement may take this forward is to campaign for a referendum to be held on election day. It is too late for the government to change the voting system beforehand, but we can ask them to let the electorate decide whether this is the last unfair and old-fashioned election. Discussions are ongoing with a range of civil society organisations and more details of the campaign will be released when available.