It will,however,only happen with an immediate General Election and pledge for a `Constitutional Reform Commission’ appointed before that Election is held,to clean up, as Nick Clegg has put it `This Rotten Parliament’ and `Medieval System of Expenses’.

1.In 1981, when the `Gang of Four’ first came to light, to form the SDP there were two potential Liberal Prime Ministers, namely Roy Jenkins and Shirley Williams.

2.Shirley Williams, should have been the first woman Prime Minster : instead of Margaret Thatcher.Had that been the case she surely would have launched the `Constitutional Reform Commission’ that she is recommending today.

2.A reading of Paddy Ashdown`s `A Fortunate Life’ shows how the `Project’ with Tony Blair, that led to the Roy Jenkins PR Commission recommending AV and not SDV ran into the sand, due to blocking by a combine of Jack Straw,`Two Jags’ and Gordon Brown.

3.This `Rotten Parliament’ has lost all `moral authority’ to continue governance,without being deemed by Press and Country, as a `Lame Duck’ or `Duck Pond/ Moat Dredging Government’.

4.The People, especially all those suffering the `slings and arrows’ of the worst recession for the poorest in our community,since the 1930`s, deserve better Government and an immediate General Election to cast their ballot on this Government the only way to achieve that new confidence in public duty and humility required.

5.I believe that there should be a cross Party Parliamentary Motion, to determine a `Constitutional Reform Commission’ and a set context terms of reference.

6.Parliament should be made binding to essential reforms, such as smaller central Government,elected House of Lords, a form of PR and independent and scrupulous scrunity of M`P Expenses’ in perpetuity.

7.There may also be a number of subsidiary recommendations, aside from the binding ones, such as `Recall’ and a new democratic link between M.P. and Constituency -i.e. Q and A sessions with Constituents and Annual published M.P.s Reports and account of all work completed and attendance at Votes etc.

8.I agree with Shirley Williams,that the `Constitutional Reform Commission’ should contain eminent British Constitutional historians, such as Professors Vernon Bognanor and Peter Hennessey, whom are noted for their objectivity.

Where I disagree with Shirley Williams, is that I believe that a General Election should be imminent and then the `Constitutional Reform Commission’ and not the other way round!

Well, clearly not all of it. This was the worst the Telegraph could throw at them in the sense of “things that were unacceptable”:

“Sir Alan also claimed £6,298 for food between 2005 and 2008 and £5,050 for a cleaner in the same period, as well as recovering £5,457 from the public purse for a John Lewis kitchen and £219 for an air conditioning unit. ”

Cleaner I’m not at all impressed with, he should pay that back. That’s a generational thing. £5k over four years sounds like a couple of hours a week as well, so it’s not like it would kill them to pay for it themselves. Probably a lot of the food needs to go back as well. I’m fine with food being paid for when it’s on top of their normal eating expenditure, but £60 a week assuming parliament is in session half the year is a bit steep to be just from that. Get an M&S sandwich.

The kitchen and the aircon unit, well, they do sound like reasonable expenditure to make a place liveable to me. However, I’m very confused as to why they’d need to have spent money on a kitchen in a rented flat?? We’re definitely paying for someone’s capital improvements in this case, just not the MP’s!

So that’s £5k should be returned for the cleaner, maybe £3k for the food(?), and another £5k WTF was going on there?

That still leaves £104,000 that apparently not even the Telegraph could make anything out of.

that would be £117,000 over 8 years

or 14 1/2 k a year, bit more than half the second home allowance, then

or about £1200 a month, so less than the new “extremely tough” limits brought in this week

sigh

Even then it’s minor-league troughing compared to John Bercow, assuming of course the Telegraph reports are true.

http://gawragbag.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-would-bagehot-say-forward-to-past.html

If the leadership fails to highlight that the LibDems have been pushing for MAJOR radical electoral reforms for such a long time, if Nick Clegg and the party fail to take leadership on this issue, our party will become irrelevant and will not be able to progress. There needs to be immediate calls by LibDem MPs from frontbench to back, for Proportional Representation, an elected upper house and the removal of the Queen as the head of state. If that doesn’t happen, there needs to be a reshuffle with a new leader.

It really wouldn’t surprise me if more than half of all seats change hands and there is a hung parliament, but that’s dreamland for the electorate because it would really force the issue of reform.

Such a result is not worth thinking about – it should be inspiration to get out there and campaign.

More votes of LibDems means more chance of better reforms!

Join the LibDems to make YOUR voice heard!

In fact I think ERS’s new campaign to get a referendum on the ballot paper to coincide with the next general election is a good idea. That way assuming the referendum is passed (no guarantee of this of course) then this GE would be the last one under the current system.

I know the Tories are totally opposed to proper electoral reform like this but if the people had just voted for it in a referendum would they dare not do it? I think they would have to implement it.

There are however plenty of other reforms that could be brought in more quickly. Secret ballots for Select Committee Chairs and give them real power and teeth. The SC system should be an alternative to a ministerial career rather than a second or third best.

It’s important to get all the new rules in place BEFORE the next General Election, otherwise we’ll have four or five more years of the old discredited system.

And frankly, I don’t trust either Dave or Gordon to implement any changes decided if they win a majority in the next election under the present system.

http://millenniumelephant.blogspot.com/2009/05/day-3063-why-not-call-general-election.html

Luv from Millennium