Sunday 20 March 2016

Iain Duncan Smith, I urge you to now back Electoral Reform

Dear Mr Iain Duncan Smith,

I have seen your BBC interview with Andrew Marr regards your resignation as Works and Pensions Secretary, and I would like to pick up on a couple of the points raised.  Before I come to those points, I will make an admission that I have in the past described yourself in what can be described as not exactly glowing terms.

Onto the first point, Marr indicated that many people will find it difficult to see you as the good guy, against a backdrop of the suffering of society's most vulnerable.  As someone who hails from the North of England, I will firmly advise you that this may be an understatement!

However, I for one would be willing to judge you on any future contribution you make to the welfare debate from the backbenches, considering you have been known to have taken a keen interest in welfare prior to entering Government in 2010.

Plus, I am open minded that policy announcements played out in the public domain are not always reflective of discussions that members of a government will play out in private.

My hope going forward is that your resignation will become symbolic of the moment that further cuts in benefits for the most vulnerable, becomes a red line that cannot be crossed.

The other point I would like to raise is your comments about how the Conservatives should not be uncaring about those who don't vote Conservative.  I for one would suggest that the First Past The Post Electoral System has a lot to answer for in respect of this point you have raised.

The main parties will concentrate their resources and policies towards the parliamentary seats they need to win, rather than the seats they won't win.  Plus, recent UK electoral trends have been delivering majority governments on less than 40% of the vote!

I appreciate that there are always tough decisions for governments of all colours.  However, I do believe that had we continued to have a government made up of more than one party following last year's election, it would have been more representative of the people than the mere 37% who voted in your one party Tory Government last year, and that there would have been a few non-Tory Cabinet Ministers able to challenge George Osborne's cost cutting at the expense of the vulnerable.

My recollection of the aftermath of the 2010 general election is that you personally stated the Conservatives had no interest in electoral reform, as your party started it's Coalition negotiations with the Liberal Democrats.  If I am wrong on this recollection, I accept the oversight.

If the UK were to change it's electoral system to a fairer and more proportional voting system, not only would we get the more representative governments I refer to, but every vote would also count.

If every vote were to count, including the vulnerable voter living in a strong Labour or other non-Tory area, then this would go some way in addressing how the Conservative Party behaves towards people who at this moment in time would have little or no incentive to vote Conservative.

Taking these points on board, will you now reconsider your position on Electoral Reform?

Yours Sincerely


Andy J Watson