Author Archives: Matt Wood

Opinion: Don’t reform the House of Lords; scrap it

By Matt Wood | Mon 9th May 2011 - 2:45 pm

After the humiliating defeat of the AV referendum, a system to which no party aspired to before the General Election, and the disastrous rout of elected Lib Dems in Scotland and England, serious questions must be asked about the future direction of the party and its place in the coalition government.

In order to reclaim the trust of the British electorate, we need to be bold and radical, and we must speak up for the aspirations of the British people, particularly the disillusioned young; the Facebook generation, who are the future of our democracy. Despite Nick Clegg’s promise of a ‘New …

Posted in News | Tagged facebook, house of lords and reform | 33 Comments

Opinion: ‘Dirty tricks’ politics is destroying British democracy

By Matt Wood | Sun 12th April 2009 - 7:15 pm

Politics should be about constructive debate and people working together to find solutions to common problems like global warming, the economy, social cohesion and public health. Most people get involved in politics for the right reasons, primarily because they want to change the world or help their local community.

However, if you read the Sunday newspapers, it would appear that all politicians do these days is fiddle their expenses and think of new ways to smear their opponents. The resignation of Damian McBride following his alleged plans to smear to Tories, is just the latest in a long line of …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged blogging | 15 Comments