29 September 2009

Brown could -and should- do better

I'm pretty angry. Angry that Gordon Brown has fluffed the chance to do the right thing. Summarised here: Brown’s ideas don’t offer the change we need | POWER 2010 And here's the problem: "The PM promised a referendum on electoral reform - but not until after the next election and even then only on the Alternative Vote system which wouldn't move Parliament any closer to being proportional."
The government's first stab towards reform had a commission to recommend what voting system should be put to the vote in a referendum. That was way back at the end of the 90's. It recommended AV plus not AV because the former would not be proportional. The Labour manifestos since 97 have promised a referendum; so it's not like they haven't had time to consider and do this: so putting it off to another term of office (which is looking unlikely anyway) seems cynical in the extreme. GRRRRR!
Join the campaigns, write to your MP ... the fact that Brown has done this at all is probably because of pressure, he's trying to do something without actually doing anything; don't let him get away with it. Force this government to live up to its radical promise before it's too late and we could end up with the real smoke and mirrors of a Tory administration.

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"Spend and tax" not "tax and spend"

 I got a response from my MP which got me kind of mad. You'll see why as I reproduce it here. Apologies for the strange changes in types...