ERS: Cameron urged to embrace reform or remain the 'English Party'

Tuesday, 26 May 2009 12:00 AM

- Conservatives need not adopt 'default setting' on PR
- Fixed term parliaments dismissed as 'small beer' reform
The Electoral Reform Society has reacted to David Cameron's opposition to radical electoral reform, in today's call for fixed term parliaments. [1]

Dr Ken Ritchie, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society

"If you take the speeches at face value choice and competition have a natural home in the Conservative Party. Why then fail to apply them to democracy? Opposition to PR need not be the default setting for Conservatives or their leaders.

"Tory representatives in the Welsh Assembly, in Holyrood and in town halls across Scotland owe their positions to PR. [2] These systems have put paid to the fallacy that Conservatives are just the English Party - an impression it's impossible to avoid when you look at Westminster.

"Cameron owes it to Conservative voters - in Scotland, in Wales and in big cities across - England - to deliver a system in which their votes can count. PR could help make the Conservatives a truly national party once more.

"We need an open parliamentary vote on a reform referendum, so that Conservative MPs can move in the best interest of their party and their voters." [3]

The Society also addressed issues surrounding fixed term parliaments.

Dr Ritchie added:

"Modest reforms like fixed term parliaments are small beer given the current crisis. Governments do pick times that suit their interests, and that needs addressing. But it is the voting system that grants them power in the lobbies that totally fails to reflect how the public actually voted. And that allows select MPs to enjoy such safety that they can forget about the voters.

"Fixed terms do change the timetable, but they do not improve the prospects for accountability under the current voting system. If Cameron wants real change then that requires radical reform which starts with PR."

Notes

[1] David Cameron, The Guardian, 26 May 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/25/david-cameron-a-new-politics1

[2] The voting system has held back Conservative progress outside rural England. This stands in stark contrast to the inroads made in devolved legislatures elected under the Additional Member System, and in Scottish local government elected under the Single Transferable Vote.

National Elections
At the last general election the Conservative Party polled 65,704 more votes than Labour in England, but ended up 92 seats behind. In Wales the Conservatives received more than a fifth of the votes (297,830 or 21.4%) in the 2005 General Election, and won just 3 seats. In Scotland they received 369,388 votes (15.8%) and a single seat See The Conservatives and the electoral system, (ERS 2005) http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/oldsite20070123/publications/briefings/The%20Conservatives%20and%20the%20electoral%20system.pdf

Devolved Elections
Without the proportional element from the Scottish Parliament vote Conservatives would have 4 rather than 17 MSPs (based on 2007 election). By the same principle they would have 5 rather than 8 AMs in the Welsh Assembly (2007 Election)

Local government in Scotland
The advent of PR in Scotland prompted Conservatives to put up nearly a full slate of candidates in the mainland, including candidates in many areas where they had never previously contested elections. The Conservatives were the party that saw the biggest expansion in its reach in 2007. For more see Local Authority Elections in Scotland 2007 (ERS, 2008) http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/downloads/Scottishlocalgovernmentreport.pdf

[3] The Society led calls for a referendum in Sunday's Observer. Alan Johnson has showed his support for a referendum based on the Jenkin's Commissions proposals for Alternative Vote Plus on Monday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/24/letters-mps-expenses

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