How to mend our broken system

(c) Arne Hendriks
Reform is back on the mainstream agenda. Despite dogged persistence from many, including the Liberal Democrats, Unlock Democracy, Student campaigners, as well as factions within the leading two parties themselves, it …

Submitted by Bobby Dean on Tuesday, 2 June 2009View Comments

(c) Arne Hendriks

Reform is back on the mainstream agenda. Despite dogged persistence from many, including the Liberal Democrats, Unlock Democracy, Student campaigners, as well as factions within the leading two parties themselves, it has taken years of apathy and disillusionment coupled with a major political sleaze scandal for the subject of reform to firmly establish itself onto the mainstream agenda.

David Cameron has vaguely flirted with the idea of Fixed Term Parliaments and Gordon Brown is open to suggestions whilst Nick Clegg explains to the nation how he has been in favour of radical reform all along. His support for reform, however, is tempered with a quiet understanding that the one change that could allow him to realise his ambitions will most probably be cast away – as Cameron has already attempted to do.

With an entire generation about to be lost to disenchantment, now is not the time for constitutional tinkering but proper, wholesale reform and more importantly an active engagement with the citizens of the UK. Political interest, albeit negative, is at an unusual high and the moment must be seized to if we wish to re-engage future voters.

Proportional Representation must be introduced in some form to ensure the newly invigorated voter knows their vote counts. Moreover they should have the ability to hold their MP directly to account by being able to sack them, although this must be accompanied by many preconditions to prevent arbitrary backlash.

The voting age should be lowered to 16. Not only will this invite a generation to get engaged in politics from a much more crucial age but it will also help to balance the injustice of being told that one is old enough to pay tax, be criminally responsible, partake in legal sex and leave full-time education but not old enough to participate in the system that decides this is so.

Furthermore, despite timid attempts, a comprehensive incorporation and appreciation of the power of the internet is essential for this new generation. Compulsory debate of quota-reaching online petitions, discussion forums for policy proposals, plain English publications of legislation and Parliamentary activity, even online voting, making referenda and elections far more convenient, are just a few of the limitless potentials of unlocking the power of the web.

If these reforms are to mean anything they must not merely satisfy the desperate need for reform that has been sought for decades, but look well and truly towards preparing our political system for the future. What we need is a Politics for the 21^st Century.

ieuanferrer

I don't know whether reducing the voting age will encourage younger people to get more involved in politics. I honestly think that people who are politically inclined will engage with it regardless - and those who aren't won't.

And what do you think of the AV system that Labour seem to be in favour of?
Bobby Dean

I think your point about age is entirely relevant as the situation is right now but I would propose a voting age change as part of a whole package of reforms to engage the next generation of voters. For instance if there was a heavy focus in schools about the importance of voting and politics and then they could do so as soon as they left, perhaps the freshness of learning about that importance and then the realisation of the ability to do that following so quickly will leave a life-long tendency to vote. There will always of course be people uninterested in politics, which is fine, but we have to do what we can to engage as many people as we can.

I must admit I am undecided on which system of PR is best for this country, and there's not enough room to debate it here! However, AV is not what I would describe as a PR system and I am certainly in favour of making the Commons more proportional. The problem with AV is that it would not be used properly by the electorate, this is not to insult the electorate's intelligence but can you honestly imagine your average voter researching enough their candidates to vote them in a particular order. What is more likely is that the first two and very rarely three will be preference votes and the rest will be random, resulting in an unfair reflection of certain parties popularity.