A fully elected second chamber

Speculation today that the proposed electoral reform referendum has a majority in the Commons but not in the Lords. So here is a reason for those actively advocating electoral reform to move an elected second chamber to the top of their political agenda. Until now, they seem oddly reluctant to give greater urgency to changing the anachronism that is the fully unelected second chamber (except that the Bishops who are peers are elected through the Church of England), rather than tinkering with the voting system for the Commons.

Breaking the link

I support a fully elected second chamber, and that is what I will vote for if I am elected as an MP. In a democratic and multi-faith society, where there is a political consensus that reducing appointed quangocracies is part of the modernising that British politics needs to do, it is important to break the link between all peerages and a seat in the UK's second chamber. This is possible within the White Paper published in July 2008 - legislating to implement this is long overdue.

The Queen's speech commitment is to introduce a draft Bill in this Parliament - that means it will not be enacted before the next election, which is why I say how I would vote as an MP. I once had a conversation about House of Lords reform with Cornwall's former Bishop Bill, who put the argument for a proportion of appointed peers, but he didn't persuade me; even though, as a member of the House of Lords elected through the Church of England, he was an instinctive democrat in the arguments he voiced on Cornwall's behalf.

Hitch your wagon to a star

Those seeking to hitch the electoral reform cart to the runaway horse that is the public response to MPs' expenses revelations misread - or wilfully misinterpret - the change that people want to see. Their opportunistic efforts to shift the focus of political renewal onto tinkering with the voting system will not succeed.

The Kelly report recommendations published today come closer to downsizing greed and exploitation by a minority of MPs, in a way that redresses the public outrage at what has been revealed; although many will question the proposal that mortgage payments should continue for up to five years for existing MPs who are re-elected. As a prospective MP, I welcome the proposed shift to rented accommodation in London rather than second homes. And I support moves to prevent MPs employing family members.

Political renewal in the UK is partly about ensuring public service is free of self-serving interests. It is also about delivering the new constitutional settlement that Gordon Brown promised as he became Prime Minister.

That is about whether legislation will be completed in this Parliament for the long overdue, fully elected second chamber. It is about creating a democracy in which citizens engage willingly and actively because they have a formative influence locally as well as nationally. And it is about Parliament carrying forward the call of the UK Youth Parliament for lowering the voting age to sixteen to be debated and decided.

Voters dismayed by some MPs abuse of the expenses system are not calling for changes to the electoral system; they just want to end the self-seeking, extravagance, and waste. They want representatives who understand that for most people everyday life is about working hard to afford one home for their families, and at a time when unemployment is rising. That means strengthening, not diluting, the link between voters, local communities, and the individual elected representative or representatives.

Political Parties that want to take a first step in that direction by holding open primaries can do so without changing the law. 

We need to keep talking about homes, jobs, cost of living, schools, hospitals, better transport, and safer communities. Not cynical, tactical or 'strategic' voting, and proportional representation.