Charles Kennedy to Blair: Come Clean Over Vote Reform

[Carolab]

Dear Mr Blair: Come clean over vote reform
Kennedy tells PM to stop ducking the issue of PR
26 May 2005


Rt. Hon. Tony Blair MP,
10 Downing Street,
London, SW1A 2AA

Dear Prime Minister,

Your government was returned to office on what is historically the lowest ever level of public support in modern times. The first-past-the-post voting system delivered your majority of 67 seats with just 35% of the vote. Put simply, it took 26,877 voters to elect a Labour MP, 44,251 to elect a Conservative MP and 96,378 to elect a Liberal Democrat. Therefore, my purpose in writing is to urge you to revisit the overwhelming case for electoral reform.

When you were in opposition, you actively courted my predecessor Paddy Ashdown with promises about reform of the voting system and a switch to proportional representation. In government, you set up a commission under the late Roy Jenkins - then refused to implement its findings. You set up a Joint Consultative Committee, which continued until it became clear that there was to be no serious movement on the matter of fair votes.

Prime Minister, you have failed the electorate over the issue of PR. Under your premiership, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh assembly have been established and, like the elections to the European parliament and the Greater London Assembly, these are conducted under various systems involving PR. Next year in Scotland, local government will be transformed with a switch to a proportional system. Yet there is no movement, or any sign of a serious debate about the principle - let alone a timetable - for the same degree of democracy to be offered for elections to Westminster or to local government in England and Wales.

(more)

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=641462

[autorank]

1. Scottland & Wales are the Voices of Reason in Great Britain

The neocons rely on election fraud everywhere. Good for Scotland and Wales.

Cheers to Liberal Democratic Leader Kennedy!!!