Take Back Parliament rally
On saturday I went to rally for electoral reform outside the houses of parliament at an even organised by take back Parliament.
In many ways an excellent event. THe crowd of around a thousand were enthused and engaged. Not least because of the efforts of organiser Guy Aitchison:
Perhaps a point of contention at the event was Alternative Vote. I have made clear my own objections to it- as a system which will bring about permanent inertia – and the crowd were not too keen on it either. Nonetheless those on the platform generally insisted that it must be supported as a first baby step to reform.
Mark Thomas dissented from the line, telling us that we shouldn’t except that we have to choose between the options the political classes give us. When I spoke to long time constitutional reformer Anthony Barnett, he told me that AV would not be a victory at all, but what was a victory was that we were having a referendum on the voting system. A fair point indeed, and the audio interview will be posted up soon.
In some ways the most disappointing speech was from Lib Dem Evan Harris.
He told us that if we want electoral reform we have to prove that hung parliaments and coalition governments can be strong and stable. In trying to channel the demand for electoral reform to acquiescence with the new Lib Con coalition he came across as rather desperately partisan.
We had an appearance from the electoral reform dinosaur.
All in all, a good beginning to this latest stage of the long struggle for democracy.
Reader Comments
I’m certainly with Mark Thomas and yourself on this issue. I don’t see how some can view AV as ‘baby steps’ toward representative government. Britain is supposed to be the mother of parliaments isn’t it. What’s with this ‘baby steps’ shite? Rather, it seems to be an effort to maintain democracy at its infant stage as far true representation is concerned.
I’m not too thrilled with the ‘vote re-distribution’ bit of it that sees the votes of parties with least votes going to those whom at the top. That is not dissimilar to the first-past-the-post system as in both situations, the lesser are left out as opposed to being represented.
And I’m also sceptical about Clegg’s efforts to further transfer power to the people as an effort to get into the limelight and perhaps take the next elections. I would be more concerned about his other plans that might indicate his true view of the path this nation ought to take – like cuts, fixed term parliaments, etc. Sometimes I’m inclined to think that a coalition might just be the excuse for both to be seen to be required to compromise that which they are already willing to compromise – with the coalition serving as cover.
Additionally, I couldn’t help but be surprised at the way the crowd cheered at what Clegg had to say at the first demo. I wonder if the TBP is going to end up playing into the hands of the Clegg-Cameron coalition given quite a few speakers asking activists to confine their vision within the choices presented by the political/bourgeois class. I thought the TBP were into ‘PR’.