General Election and the need for change in the real sense!

I've not yet in this blog mentioned the general election. I think there are very few of us who aren't turned off by the competitive banter of all the main parties. Each attempting to show the electorate what they'll individually gain by voting for their party.

I know the parties have to do this to present their policies and show the political acumen and personality strengths of their main actors. It's an expectation driven by the media. But we all are aware that it's all a bit of a game that's very much related to point scoring.

With this in mind it was refreshing to hear on BBC 4's programme 'Saturday Live' the candid views of Lib Dems Matthew Taylor one of the MP's who'll be leaving the Commons after 23 years.

He wasn't leaving because of any particular scandals but partly owing to his perceptions of how backbenchers ability to scrutinise legislation in the last couple of decades had declined. And again his perception of how overt cabinet rule, owing to large majorities and changes in the organisation of the legislative process in recent years, had produced negative consequences. To him the House of Commons was not fulfilling its necessary scrutinising role.

Another interviewee, Claire Short, who's also leaving this year thought that a hung Parliament would actually be beneficial in relation to combatting these recent developments. It would mean that the party that managed to form the government would have to listen to other positions more readily and as a matter of course.

It seems to me though that obviously a more fundamental change in the system is necessary to promote a consensual base to politics in the UK.

Greens consider that if we want a fairer political set up were the electorate's voting patterns were echoed in the make up of the Commons we must move to a form of proportional representation that would produce this. Such a system would not provide huge majorities. Governance would have to be more consensual. There are many examples of really effective PR systems in Europe eg Germany.

With faith in our political system at a low ebb such changes would seem to be much overdue.