In a democracy, we expect the government to represent the will of the people. We believe that every citizen has an equal right to participate in the democratic process, and that every vote should count equally. But the reality is that Westminster’s distortive electoral system means our democracy is failing to live up to these fundamental principles.
Save Wednesday 24 May as a key date in the march to achieving equal votes for UK General Elections. That’s when Sort The System – your chance to meet and tell your MP why they should back voting reform – is taking place.
Sort The System is a national action day put together by reform ally organisations, including Make Votes Matter, the Electoral Reform Society and Unlock Democracy. Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform are backing it, as are pro-reform Labour groups and the Greens.
For us Liberal Democrats, it’s a huge opportunity – maybe our best before the next General Election – to put electoral reform firmly on the agenda.
A proportional system that empowers voters, delivers parliaments that are representative of the people, and keeps government in check is crucial to fixing our broken politics and underpins the positive change we need to see. As longstanding leaders in campaigning for electoral reform, PR must be part of our party’s overall promise to the British people. Part of what we stand for; what makes us different.
Ed Davey put it this way in a speech to the IPPR (November 30 2022)
I believe that reforming our voting system is the biggest and most important way to mend our broken politics, and I am determined to achieve it.
Every vote for the Liberal Democrats at the next election will be a vote for proportional representation.
This is a crucial moment. We need to capitalise on our local election gains and help showcase the strength of public support for change.
Here’s what we’re asking party members to do:
- Sign up to Sort The System
- Write to your MP
- Come to London on 24 May and make your voice heard
- Sign up for our Liberal Democrats lunch to meet other champions for PR from across the Party
We can no longer let any MP or party get away with saying that they never hear from the public about electoral reform. So whether an MP supports PR, or is opposed to change, it is important to show them how much this issue matters to us.
Momentum for PR is growing. A majority of the public support it. But Parliament won’t budge until the demand for change becomes impossible to ignore.
That’s why Sort The System is so important, and why I’m asking as many Liberal Democrats as possible to join me.
* Christine Jardine is MP for Edinburgh West and spokesperson for Women & Equalities and Scotland
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8 Comments
“We can no longer let any MP or party get away with saying that they never hear from the public about electoral reform”
Sadly Christine , those members of the public are very small as regards pr, It’s seen as a liberal pet subject – and will get swallowed up amongst what the public think are the most important day to day issues affecting them.
PR doesn’t make that list & never has…
One of the great achievements of the Liberal Democrats in government getting STV elections for local council elections in Scotland. I think a key priority in Scotland is to push to change Scottish Parliamentary elections to STV as well. I would like to see STV for Westminster as well but think that will only come after it is achieved for English Council elections – but I hope I’m wrong…
I have tried to stop the many emails coming from Mark Pack. They flood my system. I am no longer a member and it makes little difference who ever I contact.
I withdrew from membership after the ring of steel saga in Bath.
I am not at all sure about this.
If PR is adopted it will open the floodgates to The Greens probably enabling them to overtake us by 2030.
We continue to ignore the Greens at our peril.
Helen Dudden 19th May ’23 – 10:50am:
I have tried to stop the many emails coming from Mark Pack. They flood my system. I am no longer a member and it makes little difference who ever I contact.
The party which advocates choking British businesses to death with absurdly complex and overly prescriptive EU regulation not even adhering to the simple and easily understood Data Protection Principles of our own legislation of nearly 40 years ago (Data Protection Act 1984). Surely not?
I withdrew from membership after the ring of steel saga in Bath.
That seemed to me to be a pretext for some other agenda. It’s hard to see why Bath would be a prime target for terrorists any more than thousands of other towns and cities across the country. In any case, it’s appeasing such putative terrorists by changing our way of life to accommodate them. In a free society people should be free to make their own decisions as to whether its safe to enter a town based on the perceived risk at the time.
The same applies to York. Cutting of Autistic services. Pavements that are lethal. Constant accidents.
PR is essential to reform our politics and governance. The benefits will accrue over at least a decade. For a start it will improve the sort of people who go into politics. Knowing that you will need to persuade over half those voting to support you to be elected will help to shift politics back to the centre ground.
Come on, Lib Dems!
Surely all sensible and honest people should acknowledge the great and lasting benefit bestowed in Boris Johnson’s spectacular premiership? No-one, surely, has done more than he to advance the approach of Proportional Representation? Five years at least!