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TORIES STUCK IN THE PAST OVER PR - WILLIAMS
February 11, 2009 9:55 AM
Commenting after Conservative Shadow Justice Minister Eleanor Laing MP said all elections should be first past the post, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Roger Williams MP has accused the Conservatives of being out of touch on electoral reform.
Responding to an intervention during a debate on whether minority parties should be allowed to nominate electoral commissioners, Eleanor Laing said, "There is a better way to ensure fairness, which is to get rid of elections under any system other than first past the post. That is the fair and straightforward way."
The Liberal Democrats supported the SNP amendment which would have allowed all parties with 15 parliamentarians, including MSPs, AMs and MEPs, to nominate a commissioner.
Commenting, Roger Williams said:
"Most people simply won't recognise the Tory view of first past the post as the fairest system.
"Quite why the Welsh and Scottish should have what type of system of election that they should use dictated to them by the Conservatives is anyone's guess.
"If it wasn't for the systems that they are so worked up about, the Tories hardly would have had any representation in the Assembly or the Scottish Parliament.
"Nick Bourne and his fellow Conservative Assembly Members on the List may be interested to know that their Westminster colleagues don't think they should have been elected.
"This is yet another sign that if the Conservatives get into Government they will seek to tell devolved administrations what to do."
Notes:
Transcript of the intervention:
Mr. Alan Reid: The hon. Lady is right about the whole spectrum of experience, but does she not accept that fighting elections under proportional representation is a different experience from fighting elections under first past the post? Amendment 91, which I support, defines a parliamentarian as somebody from any of the devolved Assemblies, as well as from here. Surely, to get that wide spectrum of experience, she should be supporting that amendment.
Mrs. Laing: There is a better way to ensure fairness, which is to get rid of elections under any system other than first past the post. That is the fair and straightforward way.
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