Author Archives: Lisa Smart

Our democracy is under sustained attack. Repeated scandals and corruption have hollowed out trust, while powerful men who hate our democracy – from Silicon Valley to the Kremlin – undermine our social fabric and institutions. It is nothing short of a national crisis.

It has therefore been deeply frustrating to see the litany of lost opportunities in the government’s “Representation of the People Bill”. What is called for is transformation – to restore trust and make our brittle, fragile democracy more resilient.  This bill does not meet that moment.

In all its 186 pages, it manages to avoid measures that would meaningfully improve accountability of politicians, to stamp out corruption, or to address the unfairness of our backwards, outdated voting system. The elephant in the room – of record levels of public distrust and anger with our political system –  remains, it seems, totally ignored.

There are, of course, some worthwhile measures like automatic voter registration and more support for candidates. Most significantly, the Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for votes at sixteen for decades, and we are proud to have helped secure a provision that delivers this. But as I said in my speech “As young people approach the ballot box for the first time in the next election, we must ensure that they – and everyone in our country, feel confident…. Confident that they won’t be bombarded by disinformation. Confident that their vote will count. Confident that the system they are being asked to be a part of is fit for purpose.” I can’t honestly say this bill delivers on those things.

So where does that leave our party?

Ed and I are determined that Liberal Democrats use this bill to champion the changes our democracy really needs – on which we Liberals have a unique and proud track record. Fundamental to so many problems we face as a country is that we have a system which few trust, which rewards cronyism and which is vulnerable to the whims of foreign regimes and elites.