House of Commons Speaker's Conference (on Parliamentary Representation) Session 2008–09 Volume II Written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 21 April 2009 HC 167 -II Published on 27 May 2009 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 Speaker’s Conference (on Parliamentary Representation) The Conference secretariat will be able to make individual submissions available in large print or Braille on request. The Conference secretariat can be contacted on 020 7219 0654 or [email protected] On 12 November 2008 the House of Commons agreed to establish a new committee, to be chaired by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Michael Martin MP and known as the Speaker's Conference. The Conference has been asked to: "Consider, and make recommendations for rectifying, the disparity between the representation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people in the House of Commons and their representation in the UK population at large". It may also agree to consider other associated matters. The Speaker's Conference has until the end of the Parliament to conduct its inquiries. Current membership Miss Anne Begg MP (Labour, Aberdeen South) (Vice-Chairman) Ms Diane Abbott MP (Labour, Hackney North & Stoke Newington) John Bercow MP (Conservative, Buckingham) Mr David Blunkett MP (Labour, Sheffield, Brightside) Angela Browning MP (Conservative, Tiverton & Honiton) Mr Ronnie Campbell MP (Labour, Blyth Valley) Mrs Ann Cryer MP (Labour, Keighley) Mr Parmjit Dhanda MP (Labour, Gloucester) Andrew George MP (Liberal Democrat, St Ives) Miss Julie Kirkbride MP (Conservative, Bromsgrove) Dr William McCrea MP (Democratic Unionist, South Antrim) David Maclean MP (Conservative, Penrith & The Border) Fiona Mactaggart MP (Labour, Slough) Mr Khalid Mahmood MP (Labour, Birmingham Perry Barr) Anne Main MP (Conservative, St Albans) Jo Swinson MP (Liberal Democrat, East Dunbartonshire) Mrs Betty Williams MP (Labour, Conwy) Publications The Reports and evidence of the Conference are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Conference (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/speakersconference Conference staff The current staff of the Conference are Mrs Elizabeth Hunt (Joint Secretary), Mr Paul Zimmermann (Joint Secretary), Mr Philip Aylett (Adviser), Miss Emma Sawyer (Senior Committee Assistant), Mr Ian Blair (Committee Assistant) and Laura Kibby (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Joint Secretaries, Speaker’s Conference, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 0654. The Conference’s email address is [email protected] List of written evidence Page SC 1 Professor Geoffrey Alderman DLitt MA DPhil (Oxon) Ev 1 2 Operation Black Vote Ev 3 3 RADAR Ev 7 4 National Federation of Women’s Institutes Ev 10 6 David Rhodes Ev 14 7 Professor Kevin Jenkins Ev 14 8 Dame Jane Roberts, Chair, Councillors Commission Ev 15 9 TUC Ev 16 10 Epilepsy Action Ev 21 11 LGC Elections Centre, University of Plymouth Ev 21 12 Scope Ev 26 13 UK Youth Parliament Ev 30 14 One World Action Ev 33 15 The Maranatha Community Ev 36 16 Clare Laxton and Lee Webster Ev 40 17 UNISON Ev 41 18 Women in Politics Ev 44 19 The Downing Street Project Ev 46 20 Beyond Numbers Ev 50 21 Black, Asian and Minority (BAME) Women Councillors Taskforce Ev 55 22 Hansard Society Ev 58 23 Women Liberal Democrats Ev 63 24 Paul Kennedy Ev 65 25 Fabian Women’s Network Ev 66 26 Equality and Diversity Forum Ev 69 27 National Council of Women GB Ev 70 28 Women’s National Commission Ev 71 29 Victor Launert, Visitor Services Manager, Houses Of Parliament Ev 75 30 Aileen Walker, Director of Public Information, House of Commons Ev 78 31 Lesbian and Gay Foundation Ev 79 32 Cllr Lynne Smith, Bridget Maguire, Wendy Harrison, Alison Richards, Isabel Arnold and Celia Walker Ev 84 33 National Alliance of Women’s Organisations Ev 85 34 Association for Citizenship Teaching Ev 88 35 Citizenship Foundation Ev 90 36 Young Foundation Ev 95 37 Parliamentary Education Service Ev 97 38 Association of Women Solicitors Ev 99 39 National Women’s Advisory Group Ev 102 40 Labour Party Disabled Members Group Ev 104 41 FATIMA Women’s Network Ev 107 42 UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Ev 111 43 Fabian Society Ev 116 44 Centre for Women and Democracy Ev 119 45 Equality and Human Rights Commission Ev 127 46 British Youth Council Ev 136 47 John Breach Ev 140 48 National Assembly for Wales Ev 142 49 BAME Labour Ev 146 50 YWCA Ev 147 51 Equality2025 Ev 149 52 Labour Party Ev 151 53 Unite Ev162 54 Unlock Democracy Ev 166 55 Electoral Reform Society Ev 171 56 Cliff Uney Ev 175 57 Prowess National Policy Centre and East Midlands Development Agency Ev 175 58 Equality and Diversity Forum Ev 181 59 Leonard Cheshire Disability Ev 181 60 London Councils Ev 186 61 Minister for Women and Equality Ev 188 62 Julie Morgan MP Ev 196 63 Women’s Local Government Society Ev 197 64 Lesley Abdela Ev 201 65 STV Action Ev 213 66 Belfast City Council Ev 215 67 The Fawcett Society Ev 216 68 Stonewall Ev 219 69 Maria Eagle MP, Government Equalities Office Ev 221 70 Royal College of Psychiatrists Ev 223 71 Scottish National Party Ev 223 72 Lone Parent Foundation Ev 224 73 David Nice Ev 225 74 Lord Rennard MBE, Chief Executive, Liberal Democrats Ev 226 75 Mr John Maples MP, Deputy Chairman (Candidates), Conservative Party Ev 227 76 Ulster Unionist Party Ev 230 77 Dominic McDevitt LLB (Hons), LLM (Merit) Ev 231 78 Rethink Ev 237 79 Campaign for Gender Balance Ev 238 80 Opportunity Now Ev 240 81 Janet Gaymer CBE QC, Commissioner for Public Appointments Ev 242 82 Women2win Ev 246 Processed: 19-05-2009 23:19:31 Page Layout: COENEW [SO] PPSysB Job: 423487 Unit: PAG1 Speaker’s Conference: Evidence Ev 1 Written evidence Written submission from Professor GeoVrey Alderman, DLitt, MA, DPhil (Oxon) (SC–1) Executive Summary — The House of Commons is not a body representative of sectional interests. Members of the House are elected not to “represent” a particular group in society but to serve the interests of individual electors and the nation as a whole. — To argue that there is a “disparity” between the representation of certain groups in UK society at large and the presence of members of such groups in the House of Commons is to betray a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of political representation in the Westminster model of democracy. — The experience of the Jewish citizens of the UK is that, whilst Jews are (and have since the late 19th century) been “over-represented” in the Commons, their interests have been much better served by non-Jewish MPs than by Jewish ones. — The creation or imposition of “all-black” or “all-female” short-lists for parliamentary (or local government) seats would be inherently unfair to members of groups so excluded, and would— therefore—be grossly oVensive to the principle of equal opportunities. Submission 1. I am by background a teacher and researcher in the broad fields of modern British history and politics. I was educated in state schools in Hackney (London) and at the University of Oxford (MA, DPhil) and as an academic have specialised in themes related to the interface between ethnic minorities and the British political process, particularly (but not only) in relation to the Jewish communities of the United Kingdom. In 1983 I published a groundbreaking study of The Jewish Community in British Politics (Oxford University Press), and the themes explored in that book were embedded in my history of Modern British Jewry (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 1998). In the early 1990s I accepted an invitation from the European Science Foundation to co-ordinate a series of studies which the Foundation published in 1993 as Governments, Ethnic Groups and Political Representation. I am often called upon by the media to comment on such matters. I am also the author of a standard text on the British electoral system (British Elections: Myth & Reality, published by Messrs Batsford in 1978). I currently hold an endowed chair at the University of Buckingham, having previously held senior executive positions in the University of London and Middlesex University. In 2006 the University of Oxford awarded me the higher degree of Doctor of Letters in respect of my published work on the history of the Jews in modern Britain. My full CV and bibliography are available on my website: www.geoVreyalderman.com . 2. I understand that the present Speaker’s Conference has been called into being as a result of concerns about the alleged: “disparity between the representation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people in the House of Commons and their representation in the UK population at large.” These terms of reference seem to me to reflect, and betray, a false understanding of the nature of political representation in the United Kingdom. 3. The House of Commons is not a body representative of sectional interests or lobbies. Members of the House are elected, not to “represent” a particular group in society—say women, Jews, transsexuals or (for that matter) locomotive drivers and firemen—but to serve the interests of individual electors and the nation as a whole. We might argue about whether the current system of representation is fair, or equitable, in the context of the undoubted truth that (for example) the present government can claim the support of only a minority of electors and indeed of voters, and that since 1945 only one government (that elected in 1945) can claim to have had the support, at the polls, of at least 50% of the voting public.1 We might argue— in other words—that the “first-past-the-post” system is inherently unfair and undemocratic, and must be replaced.