Evolving and Adapting in Line with People's Expectations and Needs

Make Votes Matter www.makevotesmatter.org.uk Contact: Joe Sousek Chris Skidmore MP E: [email protected] Minister for the Constitution T: 07402 965566 Cabinet Office 70 Whitehall London SW1A 2AS Copied to: Theresa May Prime Minister 10th October 2016 If our Constitution is to continue “evolving and adapting in line with people’s expectations and needs” the case for Proportional Representation must be given full and fair consideration Dear Mr Skidmore, Congratulations on your appointment as Minister for the Constitution. Now more than ever, stewardship of the UK’s constitution and democratic processes is a crucial role. We therefore welcome your commitment to “see our democracy grow in strength and that everyone can have their voice heard”1, and we wish you every success in the job. It is difficult, however, to see how our democracy can grow in strength or how everyone can have their voice heard without addressing the failures of the UK’s primary democratic process: the election of MPs to the House of Commons through our First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system. In May 2015, one quarter (24.4%) of votes went to the candidates and manifestos of the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats or UK Independence Party. But FPTP delivered a parliament in which these parties share ten seats (1.5% of 650 Commons seats). This cannot be said to be a parliament in which “everyone can have their voice heard”. On the contrary, it is a parliament from which the voices of 7.5 million voters are all but excluded. If our democracy is to grow in strength, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that every vote carries equal weight. Yet this is not presently the case, as highlighted by the current Secretary of State for 1 www.chrisskidmore.com/news/new-government-job-chris-skidmore-mp International Trade at the time of the EU Referendum, who said, “The beauty of a referendum, is that every voter has an equal voice, every vote carries equal weight”2. Mr Fox’s implication that this is not the case in our General Elections is correct. In the 2015 election , one party needed 23,000 votes to win a single seat, while another needed almost four million. This cannot be called a strong democracy, if it can be called democracy at all. We believe these issues would be solved by the use of a system of Proportional Representation (PR), versions of which are tried-and-tested by their use in over 80% of OECD countries. But you need not be convinced of this in order to see great value in giving full, fair and open consideration to the proportional alternatives to FPTP, and in testing the level of public support for these alternatives. In your ministerial maiden speech, you praised the British tradition of a constitution that, “has delivered a stable democracy by progressively adapting to changing realities...evolving and adapting in line with people’s expectations and needs,” whose arrangements, “enable agility and responsiveness to the wishes of our citizens”3. But our Constitution can only evolve and adapt to changing realities, wishes and needs when its guardians - the government (and in particular, you) - fully and fairly consider what those realities, wishes and needs are, and what adaptations may be required in order to answer them. It is over a year since the most disproportionate General Election in British history, yet the government has so far published no assessment of the continuing suitability of FPTP in the face of this changed reality, and undertaken no consultation with the public to discover their wishes and needs in the context of poor representation for millions of people. This is despite a petition of half a million signatories calling for PR, and every poll4 on the issue conducted over the same timeframe identifying overwhelming support for the principle of a proportional voting system. And while we are grateful for your reply to our open letter to your predecessor, we respectfully note that it does not address the issues raised above. The Alternative Vote system offered in the 2011 Referendum is not a proportional electoral system and could therefore not have addressed the issues of disproportionality set out above. There was an amendment put forward to include proportional options in the question of the Referendum, but it was voted down by MPs - with you, John Penrose, and the current Prime Minister all voting against5. Surely the British people cannot have had their say 2 www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2016-06-08a.1180.5#g1188.2 3 www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2016-07-20b.381.0#g399.0 4 www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/public-on-reform 5 www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2010-10-19&number=85&display=allvotes on PR in the AV Referendum when PR was explicitly kept off the ballot papers, and when a central part of the campaign against AV was that it is not more proportional than FPTP. If the government’s focus is, as you say, “on making sure that the UK’s constitutional arrangements work for all our citizens, in a Union based on fairness,” there could be no better way to demonstrate it than to commit the tiny fraction of resources that are available to make a full and fair assessment of the continuing suitability or otherwise of our electoral system, in consultation with the citizens in whose interests you work. Indeed, this seems a basic requirement if you are to deliver on the priorities you yourself have set out: a democracy growing in strength in which everyone can have their voices heard. We invite you to meet with Make Votes Matter and other representatives of the movement for a better democracy to discuss how these priorities may be realised. Yours sincerely, Make Votes Matter William Abbiss Daniel Abbott Mary Abbott I want PR because "First Past the Post" is not democratic. Simple as that. Voting in the present system does not represent the will of the people. Michael Abbott Glenn Abbott If the current system is democratic then I am Mahatma Ghandi. Tamsin Abbott Jenny Abbott The essence of Democracy - PR. Hooda Abdullah Robert Abel We really need to change to a system where every vote counts. Max Abendstern Ian Aberdeen Alan Abhaya Please, let's create a democracy that our children deserve. J Ablett Your party talks about fairness; this is fairness across the country and across the political spectrum! Melissa Abraham Vivien Abrahams Joanna Abram Juan Acevedo Denis Ackerley Pat Ackred Harry Adam Our democracy is clearly broken with fptp and few marginal constituencies. This leaves many feeling disenfranchised and disengaged with politics. Gordon Adam The result is foregone unless I'm in a marginal constituency I want my vote to count Raymond Adams Voting reform is of the utmost importance. FPTP is a disaster for Britain. Colin Adams Andrew Adams Every vote must count and every voice must be heard our voting system is outdated and undemorcratic change must happen before 2020. Bob Adams We talk with pride about 'British Democracy' and the 'Mother of Parliaments', but without PR these are just hollow claims. It's time to show real leadership and introduce true democracy. Carolyn Adams Christopher Adams John Adams David Adams Fran Adams Henry Adams Judy Adams Jill Adams My vote has counted for nothing for the last 25 years and yet I always vote. PR would make my vote meaningful and fair. Jill Adams This is the only way to cure people's disillusionment with politics and politicians. Jonathan Adams Les Adams Nicholas Adams Patrick Adams Philip Adams Adams PR is a fair electoral system which allows most people to be represented i parliament. Terence Adams No more 'SAFE' seats! Michelle Adams The current voting system does not represent the population fairly, I ask for proportional representation to give honesty to our democrats beliefs. Will Adams I haven't 'got the answer right' and voted for the winning party for many years, so am disenfranchised and unrepresented in central government. Ken Adams We need to get away from party politics which has and is damaging our town of Abergavenny. Andrew Adamson Jack Adamson AV is not a form of proportional representation! Why are you against the Greens and UKIP having MPs?!!? MIKE ADAMSON Peter Adamson Our obsolete first past the post system can only continue to suck the dissafected towards extremism by denying legimate hope to a growing minority risking strife. Pam Adcock Please make PR a reality Roger Adcock Make our Government more representative of the views of the people that it is supposed to represent! Alex Addams Barbara Adderley Proportional representation is the only way which truly reflects people's political choice and is truly democratic. It is also the only way forward as the present system has only alienated the voters. Crystal Addey jane addey Richard Addicott In a true democracy every person's vote should count for something. Currently millions of people know that their votes are meaningless. janet addison David Addy I have lived in a constituency for 40 years which has always elected the same one party - one which I would not/do not support. I always vote but am now intending to deliberately spoil my vote because it seems the only action I can take. Ayo Adebiyi The electorate has evolved beyond its electoral system. Susan Adelaja I would like my vote to count. I no longer wish to have to vote for a party I do not support in order to try to 'keep out' another party I support even less.

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