With Totnes about to go through an all postal open primary, the only MP elected to the House of Commons that went through an Open Primary selection system, Rob Wilson MP, is in a good position to judge its merits.
The nature of our politics has never been more commented on. Politicians have been portrayed as mired in scandal. Some have been exposed. The public wants change. But whilst my profession has been drowning recently in negative publicity, the public is more interested and emotionally involved in politics now than at anytime in a generation. This presents us all with an opportunity to increase participation in politics – we should all grab this opportunity with both hands.
Although the public’s anger has centred on the expenses revelations, their anger goes much deeper and further than taxpayer funded moats and porn films. The public is angry at the political establishment for its closed shop mentality – a politicised elite that excludes the public because it says it “doesn’t understand”. Many people feel that they can’t hold us to account for the decisions that we make and believe that we often make decisions based on personal gain rather than civic duty. The words ‘gravy train’, ‘snouts in the trough’, ‘backhander’, crop up on far too many doorsteps.
However, there are a number of simple ways we can open up politics and give people a greater say in who their representatives are – one way is to establish open primaries as the preferred method for candidate selection. Currently, around 70% of constituencies in the UK are the domain of one political party. Consequently, the majority of the public are unable to vote in a truly competitive election – once a candidate is selected to stand for the dominant party in that particular constituency, the candidate is practically assured a ‘job for life’. It’s no surprise then, with Members safe in the knowledge that they can do whatever they like without facing electoral consequences that we face the situation we’re in. It also means that MPs can neglect their Parliamentary duties, without facing the wrath of their electors. This is only too evident when you look at the amount of time Labou’s ex Cabinet Ministers spend in the Commons. For example, from April 2008 -9, John Prescott and Ian McCartney voted less than half of the time, just beating David Blunkett on 50%. And Prescott, Alan Milburn and Byers (before April 2nd) failed to speak once in the House. It’s clear that Parliament is not performing as an institution to the standards expected by the public.
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