Power 2010 have decided on the five key issues for their Power Pledge.
– Introduce a proportional voting system.
– Scrap ID cards and roll back the database state.
– Replace the house of Lords with an elected chamber.
– Allow only English MPs to vote on English laws.
– Draw up a written constitution.
I am a strong supporter of the reforms to introduce proportional representation and to scrap ID cards and roll back the database state.
I believe that the current first past the post system causes many people to feel disenfranchised because they live in a constituency which has strong leanings one way or another and their vote has no effect. This system all leads to negative voting where people vote for candidates for parties they don’t particularly support but which represents the best hope of defeating the party they’d least like to win.
The ID card and National Identity Register should be opposed because of the principle that citizens in a free democracy should be allowed to go about their lives without government intrusion. The project is also so technically flawed that it will inevitably either have to be scrapped because it is unworkable in practice or because it causes one of the very problems than it is designed to combat namely an increase in identity theft.
The House of Lords should be replaced with an elected second chamber but the form of the second chamber needs to debated intelligently before it is implemented. Replacing the Lords is a major undertaking and there will not be an easy transition from the present house to a new wholly elected chamber.
