Archive for May, 2009

Politicians of all parties are beginning to identify the abuse of the expenses rules as a wider systemic problem which has its roots in the powerlessness the public feels in the face of our over-centralised institutions and political culture. The leaders of the main parties are talking the language of political change, but our democracy belongs to all of us and it cannot be left to politicians in Westminster alone to determine the next stage of reform.

The fact that constitutional reform has proceeded in such a piecemeal fashion points to the lack of consensus between the main parties, and it is unlikely that, on their own, politicians will reach the necessary state of agreement to make real reform possible. A few politicians have recently called for a Constitutional Convention to determine changes to the constitution which have evaded Parliamentary consensus to date. We believe that alongside a number of other reforms, a Convention made up of citizens could help to end the deadlock on a number of constitutional issues, at the same time as putting citizens at the forefront of designing the shape of a constitutional settlement for the next era.

A Citizens’ Convention should be brought together to determine the following issues:

• House of Lords reform
• Parliamentary reform including fixed term Parliaments and strengthening Select Committees and other ways of holding the Executive to greater account
• Funding of political parties
• Changing the voting system to more closely reflect voters’ preferences resulting in a referendum on the day of the next general election
• New routes into politics including primaries and directly elected mayors
• Greater devolution of power, accountability and funding to local government

The moment for seizing the day is upon us. Letting politics slide back into business as usual cannot be allowed to happen. Not everyone will agree with all of the reforms listed above, but individual preferences may have to give way to a package of measures which can form the real change our democracy deserves now. In making these changes we could create a future where power truly resides with the many not the few.

I’m proud to be one of the original launch signatories for Progress’ campaign and I hope to be involved as the campaign develops. I will post details of my involvment as and when it happens on this website. If you’d like to support the campaign or have comments on how our democracy should be reformed for the 21st century, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with me.

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Last night I joined Labour’s leader in Europe, Glenis Willmott MEP, and LGBT Labour for a campaign session in advance of the European Parliament elections, which take place on Thursday, 4 June.

You can watch the speech Glenis made to activists here:

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Update: a version of this website appears at ProgressOnline.

May 2009 will no doubt go down in history as one of the most turbulent and damaging months for parliament. But I strongly believe that we can take advantage of the current mood of reform created by the MPs’ expenses scandal. I have long been a supporter of constitutional reform, but have become – often justifiably – used to being told that “the public just aren’t interested”. Recent events however have turned the spotlight on the workings of our democracy, creating a once in a generation opportunity for wholesale reform.

From interacting with the legislative process to just walking around the Palace of Westminster, I have always felt slightly unwelcome. It’s a difficult emotional response to define, but many agree that our parliament often feels more like a St James’ gentleman’s club than the legislature of a 21st century democracy. Indeed, I suspect many people would be shocked after just an hour long visit. The general public are limited to certain parts of the parliamentary estate and are herded through in a manner which hammers home my view that many parliamentarians – and also the officers who serve parliament – are uncomfortable with the simple reality that their purpose is to serve the British public. As a one time tutor in constitutional law, I taught the great principle of parliamentary sovereignty – that parliament is the supreme authority in the land. Of course, this principle was established as an assertion of parliament’s new status in light of the monarch’s diminished powers and without reference to the public parliament serves; this great constitutional principle was established at a time when parliament was woefully unrepresentative of the general population.

If today’s parliament was founded to take power from the Crown then we should be ready for the natural completion of that aim: reform designed to place the British people at the centre of our great democracy and not merely the institution of parliament. First and foremost the House of Lords: it is totally unacceptable that our Upper House should be populated with unelected members. The reforms that began in 1999 with Labour’s removal of the majority hereditary peers should be completed. Our country requires a confident, efficient and capable revising chamber that can legitimately scrutinise the work of the House of Commons. This does not need to be a large chamber – remember the US Senate has just 100 senators – but its members need to be well supported in their role and fit for purpose. 

Secondly, electoral reform of the House of Commons itself is necessary. I’m ambivalent as to whether the House of Commons is too large, although I am struck at just how many names of errant MPs I have failed to recognise in the last couple of weeks. What is more important than size is legitimacy. I have long held the view that our voting system needs overhauling. Firstly, I’d like to see the ‘alternative vote’ system introduced so that voters can rank candidates in order of preference. This would serve the dual purpose of electing an MP who has to appeal to voters beyond their traditional base (as they would be fighting for second preferences etc.) whilst maintaining the constituency link, which is a virtue of our current system and which many other forms of proportional representation would remove.

And thirdly the working practices of the House of Commons need to be brought into the modern age. There has been consternation from many voters that they submit to the daily commute from London to their home town, yet their MP is entitled to a second home a few miles from Westminster. Of course many of these voters do not work until two o’clock in the morning as is often the case in the House of Commons (just look at last week’s Finance Bill). If we want our MPs to live similar lives to their constituents then we should expect that they are granted the same work-life balance as everyone else. 

More importantly in how the House of Commons works however, is reform of the legislative process itself. It should be for parliament, not government, to control the legislative timetable. And Select Committees, which should be holding government to account, should be freed from party whips’ control through direct election of members and their chairs. Further, Select Committees should be granted the administrative support and legal powers they need to truly investigate the affairs of government and effectively hold the executive to account.

Clearly for the sake of brevity I’ve sailed superficially through the massive reforms I believe are necessary to strengthen our democracy and begin to modernise our parliament. However, these are issues that I hope to return to in greater depth as the momentum for reform gathers pace.

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I’m proud today to have been one of the drafters of and one of the original signatories to the Progress Ethical Pledge for PPCs:

The expenses scandal brings suspicion on all those who seek to represent their political parties. As a measure of our intention to try and restore an element of trust between voters and political representatives ahead of the June 4th elections, and an eventual general election, as Prospective Parliamentary Candidates we would like to put on record the following five pledges which will govern our conduct if we are elected to Parliament. 

A great many of our current Members of Parliament already embody these principles in their day-to-day conduct and their example should be recognised. We would not like to return to a system where only those who are already independently wealthy can put themselves forward for election to Parliament, so necessary reforms to the system of MPs’ expenses and allowances should acknowledge the legitimate need for those representing constituencies outside Greater London to claim for appropriate accommodation and travel expenses. In the absence, however, of a decision on the final form of the new system, these pledges will act as our guide if we have the honour of being elected to the House of Commons.

• As a parliamentary candidate I will subscribe to high standards of integrity, transparency, accountability and financial economy; 

• I seek elected office not for personal gain but to serve the public and our democracy, which I consider an honour and a privilege; 

• I will publish my expenses online within a month of submitting them and publicise them annually in full to constituents; 

• I will hold regular meetings with my community and will regularly report back to my constituency party; 

• I will apply the principle of best value to all decisions I make which involve the use of public money to cover my duties, including for travel and accommodation.

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Getting to the polls can sometimes be difficult. If you’re on holiday, have childcare commitments or work makes it hard to get to the polling station, you can still have your say on June 4. A postal vote means you can ensure that you exercise your democratic right to vote at the European and Northants County Council elections.

To get hold of a postal vote application form – or check if an old application is still valid – you need to call Electoral Services at East Northants District Council. The deadline for applications is May 19, so call the Council now on 01832 742155/742119 and a form will be sent to you. Alternatively, call into the Council Offices on Cedar Drive, Thrapston to collect one.

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Well after a last-minute dash around Thrapston this afternoon, I managed to get my nomination papers in for the 4pm deadline. I nearly didn’t make it, but I’m now officially the Labour candidate for the Thrapston division of Northamptonshire County Council. It’ll be great to get back onto the streets of Thrapston and the surrounding villages again. Hopefully I’m beginning to get some name recognition, building on last November’s Thrapston Lakes by-election – the memory of that campaign certainly helped in my securing the 10 nominations in a record one hour today!

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