A Place to Stand

So I'm looking at the Bill of Rights. We're looking at whether there's a case for a written constitution.

I'm looking at the case for votes at 16. I'm looking for the case for extending freedom of information. The House of Lords cannot stay in its present form. And all these issues which would come to making - and you've written about it, Andrew - a new constitutional settlement, these are the issues that are now on the agenda because it's about parliament's accountability to the people.

You can look at fixed terms in the light of that and you can look at all sorts of other things like recall (of MPs by constituencies) in the light of that but the major issues…These are the sort of headline grabbing issues, but the major issues are how do you make parliament more accountable to the people of this country between elections as well as at elections.

That's an issue that I've always been interested in because, look, there are three issues in voting reform that have got to be resolved and no system does it perfectly. Not one system in the world. First is, in my view, you've got to have a link between the constituency and the Member of Parliament.

And you know you've seen over these last few weeks the importance of that link because MP's have had to explain to their constituents why they've done what they've done and people want to feel that their geographical area is represented.

Secondly, the balance of an election has got to be fair and therefore people have got to think that the way the votes are counted are fair. And, thirdly, you've got to get out of this government that can govern, so you've got to get some form of democratic stability out of an election. These are the three criteria.

ANDREW MARR:

Which would add up to a system for the nerds who know about these things called AV Plus pretty much.

GORDON BROWN:

It might not, it might not. But it could add up to a debate about change that is a fair debate to have in this country.

ANDREW MARR:

And you're open to that?

GORDON BROWN:

I've always been open to debates…

ANDREW MARR:

(over) Because you kill…I mean you killed off Roy Jenkins' - may he rest in pieces - version of this ten years ago.

GORDON BROWN

I am the Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. I want to continue to be a member representing a geographical area with which I have responsibilities to meet.

ANDREW MARR:

With Gordon Brown at the top, could AV or a similar system be introduced for the House of Commons?

GORDON BROWN:

Well let's, let's see how the debate goes. But what I'm saying to you is that there are a whole range of issues in this debate that are prior to that about how you organise the Constitution.

ANDREW MARR:

There's an awful lot of long grass over there, if I can say that, where you're kicking…

Why? If 7 out of 10 colleagues in your workplace thought they had a job for life, would your business or organisation be firing on all cylinders? Parliament neither.

With so many of our law-makers returned from “safe seats”, for far too many of our MPs there simply isn’t much realistic chance of being ejected by the voters on polling day. Without genuine competition to be an MP, the weeds of indolence and entitlement that choke Westminster are able to take hold.