A Convention could strengthen Parliament

John Jackson (London, Charter 88): Guy Aitchison may be reading something into Jack Straw's reported remarks to The Times which is not there. A Citizens' Convention of the sort being proposed by Unlock Democracy with cross party support does not exclude or walk round Parliament. Not only would it be created by Parliament but it may well be right for its conclusions to be considered by Parliament before being put to a national referendum. Underpinning representative democracy in this way could play an important role both in the popular involvement in constitutional reform that Unlock Democracy and Power are talking about and in the much needed restoration of confidence in the workings of Parliament that pervades the Green Paper. It would be surprising if Jack Straw is setting himself against that.