TYLER LEADS LIB DEMS TO RADICAL REFORM PROPOSALS

Liberal Democrat Constitutional Affairs Spokesman, Lord (Paul) Tyler has led his Party in accepting a radical package of proposals for reforming Britain's political system.

In a speech to the Party's Brighton Conference, Lord Tyler said Liberal Democrats would seek to "put our outdated poltical process on a real jury trial" by establishing a Convention, half of whose members would be drawn by lot from the public, to draft a new Constitution for the United Kingdom

The policy paper also proposes immediate reform of Britain's electoral system, which Lord Tyler told delegates was responsible for "polarising our politics" and "alienating voters".  The Liberal Democrats' political opponents, he said, could not be taken seriously until they understood the impotance of reforming the electoral system.

Commenting after the debate, Lord Tyler said:

"Reforming our political system and institutions has always been Liberal Democrat territory.  We have already led substantial reform across the United Kingdom, not least the establishment of devolved institutions in Scotland and Wales, and subsequently reform of the electoral system for Scottish local government.

"Now, our new proposals set the gold standard for citizen involvement and the creation of a new 'bottom-up' politics, to which both other parties say they are committed while clinging to the top-down institutions which disfigure democracy in our country.

"Britain's democratic deficit is nearing bankruptcy.  It's make or break time for our democracy - we have laid down the gauntlet to the Prime Minister and we now urge him to meet our challenge."

A full transcript of Paul Tyler's speech to the Liberal Democrat Conference is available here.

The policy paper endorsed by the Conference is available here.