Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Debate between Lord Lamont of Lerwick and Lord Falconer of Thoroton

Monday 7th February 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lamont of Lerwick]

If that argument is correct, why does it not also apply to general elections and constituency votes, which some noble Lords wish to alter?

[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]

Is it not also right that it was an automatic no when the level was not reached in 1978, which is not what my noble friend Lord Rooker is proposing here?

[Lord Wallace of Tankerness]

There is a difference because the 40 per cent related to something different. I am not entirely sure that I follow what my noble friend Lord Lamont said, because in general elections there is no threshold for what the turnout should be to make those elections valid and no one has ever suggested putting a turnout—

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Debate between Lord Lamont of Lerwick and Lord Falconer of Thoroton

Wednesday 15th December 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Lamont of Lerwick]

Does the noble and learned Lord agree that the fact that we are debating sanctions in a sense validates the questions that were asked about how the rules were applied, because the sanctions and the fines follow those who break the rules? All the questions about what constitutes one organisation and what constitutes a separate organisation are deeply relevant to the points that he is discussing.

[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]

I completely agree. I find the idea that we should not be talking at some length about authorised participants and permitted participants entirely wrong. That is why the Minister’s response to the last series was so disappointing. The last series went right to the heart of the issues that relate to the funding of the referendum, because everybody around the House wants a situation in which the same rules are imposed on everybody. I am sorry that the noble Lord, Lord Lamont, got a slapping from the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, for raising the question of the government leaflets, although it was obviously a slapping that he was quite able to cope with. That seems to be the one area where it is authorised to spend money that does not come from an authorised participant or a permitted participant.

I do not dismiss as a joke what my noble friend Lord Gilbert said. Presumably one of the most significant sources of what will be regarded as reliable information in relation to this referendum will be what the Government themselves or the Electoral Commission—I cannot remember which—produce in relation to these leaflets. That will probably be where one of the most significant amounts of expenditure will be. However, I return to my question to the noble Lord—

Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Debate between Lord Lamont of Lerwick and Lord Falconer of Thoroton

Monday 6th December 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]

I am afraid that I was not a distinguished member of the Government at the time, but let me speculate as to what might have been in the mind of the Government.

[Lord Lamont of Lerwick]

Before the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, delves into the bowels of history, is it not the case that today the leader of the Labour Party has said that he intends to vote for AV in a referendum?

[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]

He has and that is fine. He is not saying necessarily that that is what everyone else has got to do, but the noble Lord, Lord Lamont, is absolutely right in relation to that. What is the thinking of the noble Lord, Lord Tyler? I do not know, but perhaps it was that this would be enough to get the Liberal Democrats on side. Sure enough, it has proved to be the case as far as the Conservatives are concerned. But, ultimately, the problem which the Liberal Democrats say this is to try to resolve is a lack of trust on the part of the electorate in politicians.