Monday 10 May 2010

UK Business Gov-cooporation? election reform

The Deals on offer:

"What the LibDems want: 'Single transferable vote' [pure] proportional representation, where the number of votes cast translates directly into seats. Cut number of MPs by 150 [from 650 to 500] and lower voting age to 16. Elected Upper Chamber." [house of 'lords']

Conservative: The No Deal! on the table! (the new voice of business?)
"What the Tories could swallow: Significant cut in number of MPs, and reform of Lords. Offering an initial committee of inquiry into PR. In extremis, could offer referendum on 'alternative vote system',


Labour: Deal! on the table! (that was quick).
"What Labour is offering: Resignation of Gordon Brown, who is personally disliked by Nick Clegg. Referendum on fully-fledged voting reform, including PR and an elected House of Lords. Multiple Cabinet seats such as Deputy Prime Minister for Mr Clegg and key ministries for leading LibDems."

UK Rates hold Steady over election-deals.
European-Greek EU credit-crunch for the UK.
Bank of Scotland job-cuts insurence and retail credit-crunch.

"Nick Clegg has been warned he faces a possible mutiny if he strikes a deal with the Tories that dilutes his commitment to electoral reform.
The Liberal Democrat leader is weighing up a chance to put his party in peacetime power for the first time in almost 90 years, while trying not to alienate most of its members."
.."
But senior Left-wing frontbencher Simon Hughes called the Conservatives 'unreconstructed' and said many LibDems are highly suspicious of David Cameron's party.
Mr Hughes has long been a vocal advocate for 'fair votes' - proportional representation - and warned Mr Clegg that the Conservatives were not to be trusted on this issue. 

'They have sounded superficially accommodating [on voting reform] but fundamentally pretty unreconstructed, and the further you go away from the leadership the more unreconstructed they are,' he said.
'So our party is very suspicious of the Tory party being able to deliver.'  


Senior LibDem delegates have told the Daily Mail that Mr Clegg will trigger a rebellion from Left-wing activists and even some of his own frontbench if he does not secure a deal on PR. 

One LibDem source said: 'There is a lot of concern in the wider party about us doing a deal with the Tories. If we prop up Cameron there will be many of us who will frankly kick up, not least because we are fighting the Tories in many seats. 

[Manifesto Policy]
'Our manifesto also does not discuss a referendum on PR - it implies that we would just introduce legislation to change the voting system. Any moves to water this down will be resisted.'

One senior MP also said any deal Mr Clegg agreed with David Cameron will have to be published. 

..."
Nigel Roberts, activist and founding member of the LibDems, called on Mr Clegg to 'deliver your personal guarantee' and ensure a deal on voting reform.
In an open letter to the LibDem leader, he said that many party members could settle on the Alternative Vote system - the one proposed by Labour - so long as there was a promise of a referendum on a more proportional system."

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