Scottish Launch: Let’s Make it Happen on May 5th
Speech to the Scottish Labour Yes launch on Saturday by William Bain, MP for Glasgow North East:
“It is a pleasure to be here at this Scottish launch of Labour YES. The efforts of everyone here and thousands more people across the country who want a fairer politics will be vital in securing a Yes vote in just 49 days time.
Labour has always been the reforming force for change in our politics. It was Labour that stood up for devolution in tough times as well as good, Labour that passed laws to make political parties declare where their money comes from, Labour that passed the Human Rights Act and radical equality laws, and it is Labour that will campaign for a completely elected second chamber at Westminster. All progressive democratic causes, and every one opposed by the Tories.
And now Cameron and Osborne are fighting with all their money, and all their spin, against fairer votes and for a No Vote on May 5. But together, I know we can wipe the smirks from their faces.
After the expenses crisis, the Westminster system has never been in lower repute. But now we can rebuild trust in our politics, by making more votes count, and by having more voices heard.
AV will mean that parties will have to reach out beyond their base, listen more, engage more widely, act upon and not ignore criticism. It will strengthen the link between MPs and voters. No more MPs elected with the support of just 26% of those who voted, but with a stronger mandate of at least half of those who took part in the election.
Across the world, countries that have moved to a fairer voting system haven’t turned back, and since 1945 only three new democracies introduced first past the post, only to abolish it subsequently.
And AV is used widely within our own internal democracy. We choose our candidates, and our leaders through AV. Think how AV meant that every MP, every member, every trade unionist and member of an affiliate had to be listened to in our leadership contest last year.
This is a vote about a broken political system, not one politician’s broken promises. First Past the Post may have been right for the 19th century, but it fails in the multi-party politics of the 21st. In 1950, just one in every ten voters at general elections voted for someone other than Labour and the Conservatives – in 2010, it was three in ten – and it’s likely to stay that way.
As our fifth leader John Clynes said in 1931 when Labour MPs supported an AV Bill in the Commons: “our system has been good, but good must give way to better.”
The present system fails to guarantee its unique selling point – stable, single party government, and fails the progressive majority which exists in this country, which AV will give better expression to. It creates too many seats where voters’ views can be ignored. In 2010, just 31% of voters lived in marginal seats, and the votes of just 460,000 people were decisive in swinging the election from us to the Tories.
The Tories have tried to gerrymander Parliament by rushing to cut the size of the Commons to 600 MPs, a number which benefits them the most, and hurts Labour badly. Seats being saved in the Tory strongholds, yet scrapped in other areas. 600 seats plus first past the post makes our task of outright victory hugely more difficult in 2015.
David Cameron and George Osborne are trying to fix the system to achieve what they couldn’t do at the ballot box in 2010 – build an enduring Tory majority.
And Cameron and Osborne’s No Campaign is based on fear and cynicism – that change is too complicated, that it benefits extremists. Tell that to the racist BNP who are bitterly opposed to AV.
Cameron and Osborne’s plan is one of divide and rule – to divide progressive voters through the electoral system, and to rule by winning over a small number of voters in marginal seats next time. It is based on big money, and huge Tory untruths - the very worst aspects of the old politics.
Progress have established that in each of the last four general elections – when we were hugely popular, and let’s face it, when we hugely unpopular – Labour would have done better under AV, and the Tories far worse.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to make our politics more relevant, more inclusive, more progressive, fairer, and greener.
Labour - the progressive force in British politics, standing for a great progressive cause. Fairer votes for a cleaner politics. 49 days – all to play for. Let’s make it happen on May 5.
