Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

Lord Neill of Bladen Excerpts

Monday 7th February 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Neill of Bladen]

Before the Minister answers that question, I must confess to being slightly baffled by where we are moving to. The Long Title of the Bill is that it is a Bill to:

“Make provision for a referendum on the voting system for parliamentary elections and to provide for parliamentary elections to be held under the alternative vote system”.

The amendment that the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, is putting forward drops those words about the alternative vote system. The question becomes, “Should the first past the post system be changed and a different system of elected MPs be introduced in the next general election?” We know from the many speeches that have been made that there are a mass of alternatives and variants. The population—the voters—are potentially voting for a whole series of different amendments. You have not then got the answer that you were meant to get. The Long Title goes on to say that it will provide for voting,

“under the alternative vote system if a majority of those voting in the referendum are in favour of that”.

They may be in favour of three or four different things. There is no single system for which they are voting. I find that a puzzling result and some thought needs to be given to it.