Monday, 27 July 2009

Cross-party support for consitutional upheaval

If discussions are happening in Downing Street about including a vote on constitutional change at the next general election, this would chime with Fabian polling which shows significant support for a once-in-a-lifetime update to our democracy.
An interestingly high 54% wanted a once-in-a-lifetime review of the way our democracy works, while 50% would like a system where the numbers of votes cast were more widely reflected in who our representatives are.
There was significant support for having fixed date elections with 59% signalling approval for this, rather than our current system which lets the government decide on the date of each general election.
Under discussion, according to The Observer, is a move towards AV, which retains constituency links, but allows voters to rank their chosen representatives in order of preference, rather than just marking their favourite.
As Peter Facey, director of Unlock Democracy
, writes in the latest Fabian Review, it is important that the public is involved in any revisions, and that it doesn't appear that constitutional reform is being carried out as a desperate measure by a government heading for a general election, but as part of a non-partisan process.
Support for a once-in-a-lifetime change resonates across parties, with Conservatives (53%) and LibDems (61%), believing this is the time for a renewal of the political process.


stuart.white said...

Rachael: I entirely agree that it is important that the wider public be involved in this process. The Fabian survey shows, for instance, that there is more popular support for a PR reform than AV. And there is good reason for this. It would be a disgrace if the Labour government imposed a choice between FPTP and AV on the electorate.

Robert said...

Yes it's also funny that Labour are going to get floored at the next election so have to look at ways of winning now, anything which might give them a hope.

The MOD try to make money off our injured, and now we are told Labour wants to save £17 billion a year by selling off the welfare state to profiting making insurance companies and you lot are looking at ways of keeping this so called labour party in power.

I think you lot must be in the London bubble, you cannot see how far down the road New Labour has gone.