UNDER 2% DECIDE UK ELECTIONS 

Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Tyler said “I have just been in a country where less than two per cent of those entitled to vote seem to decide which party forms a Government…this tiny elite has huge power, and special financial interest can exerts disproportionate influence behind the scenes.  Millions of voters, on the other hand, never have any impact at all on the outcome of elections…I have not been in Russia or Kenya; I have been in the United Kingdom.”

Only around 8,000 people have influence over British elections in about 80 marginal constituencies, Lord Tyler added.  In 2005, he said, only 34% of MPs gained a majority of votes in their constituencies.

Peers on both sides of the House pitched in to add their support for change to the electoral system used to choose MPs, including Baroness (Helena) Kennedy QC, Chair of the POWER Inquiry.  She said:  “We as a nation have changed.  The public have changed.  The old allegiances and bonds are changing, and have been for many years.  We are a citizenry in transition…Our political parties are of course seeking to reform, but they tend to do so by huddling round a central ground, seeking votes only in the marginal constituencies that we hear so much about.  As a result, many people – even the parties and even in the Labour Party – feel very disillusioned about the party which they thought was theirs…It is very important that spaces are made for people’s voices to be heard, not only within parties but within the system.”

Former Liberal Party Leader, Lord (David) Steel, gave his experience of the Additional Member System in use in the Scottish Parliament,  “As Presiding Officer in the Parliament, I became very aware of the fact that we had two classes of Member.  It is more than just the atmosphere within the Chamber I am talking about.  At a constituency level, the present system is extremely destructive…I believe the Single Transferable Vote would have been a better choice for the Scottish Parliament”.

Liberal Democrat Chief Executive, Lord Rennard added:  “New voting systems have been introduced at other levels in the UK.  It must be appropriate now, in this report an dour debate, to consider what we have learnt from these changes.  We also know that there will not be a general election for more than a year and, in my view, probably not for more than two years.  There is now time to consider what appropriate changes could be made to electing Members of the House of Commons.”

The Government Minister responding, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, dismissed the manifold arguments for change saying “The British public know what to do.  The system allows them to a make a very clear choice and Government tot have a working majority in Parliament…The Government are not minded to propose any change to the voting system for the House of Commons…we believe that the current first past the post system works well."