Janice Small (London, Conservative Action for Electoral Reform): We support the Electoral Reform Society's Fresh Start campaign. In case you are wondering, CAER is not (yet) the most popular wing of the Conservative party, which is still steadfastly first-past-the-post.
Our Welsh colleagues are considering the single transferable vote for local government. They have recognised that the devolved system has worked for them after their wipe-out in 1997. (This is one reason why the Lib Dems do not want to form a Rainbow Alliance - because of a resurgent Tory party.) Scotland is intellectually behind in these discussions. Having visited Scotland before the May elections my colleagues agreed that electoral reform had worked for them and yes, it did enable them to re-form after their 1997 wipeout even if they are still backing FPTP.
Where we have devolution it is working for the Tories - it's just the English that are being denied democracy and a say in their voting system. David Cameron needs to provide clear blue water between him and Gordon Brown. Just promising English Votes for English MPs isn't enough. We need an English Parliament, a forum where the English can discuss their laws, their future. It will not cost the ridiculous sums of money that Edinburgh and Cardiff did as we have our own Parliament building and the existing civil servants can take care of the running.
Where we have voting reform, CAER asks, "Are we missing a trick? Let's consider STV as the most proportional system of PR". I have had sight of the now defunct Department of Constitutional Affair's report on the 'Review of Voting Systems in the United Kingdom' which T. Blair refused to publish. I call on Gordon Brown to publish this report and its conclusion which states .... well, I will choose the right time to make it public.
So David Cameron, push for the DCA's report to be made public and call for an English Parliament, otherwise I am afraid that our Ken Clarke Democracy Taskforce's recommendations will pale into insignificance once Brown's well spun reforms kick in.
