Charles Kennedy

Liberal Democrats | Ross Skye & Lochaber

Kennedy: PM Must Give British People A Referendum On Proportional Representation

At Prime Minister’s Questions Charles Kennedy, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, asked the Prime Minister whether, with just ‘35% of the popular vote and with the Government set to force through further authoritarian measures like compulsory ID cards, ending trial by jury, restricting the right of people to protest, doesn’t he have to face the fact that here in Britain we are close to facing a ‘tyranny of the minority’?’

Mr Kennedy then asked the Prime Minister whether he would ‘give the British public a guarantee, here and now, that in the course of this parliament, they will have the democratic right, through a referendum, to vote for a system of proportional representation?’

Text of PMQ exchange follows:

Mr Kennedy: Mr Speaker, with a current majority, here in the House of Commons, of 67 MPs based on 35% of the popular vote and with the Government set to force through further authoritarian measures like compulsory ID cards, ending trial by jury, restricting the right of people to protest, doesn’t he have to face the fact that here in Britain we are close to facing a ‘tyranny of the minority’? Now does the Prime Minister think that this House of Commons actually accurately reflects what the British Public voted for on May the 5th? 

Prime Minister: Does he not, in all honesty, think that’s just a trifle exaggerated? If I can take the point about trial by jury in complicated fraud cases. Look, the reason for this is perfectly simple:  we’re spending literally millions and millions of pounds on a very small number of cases where it is often hugely complex to try the issues. It has been suggested by independent report after independent report we need to change the system, so therefore we’re doing it. Now I think to link that in with proportional representation, which is – I assume – where he’s getting, is slightly difficult if I can respectfully say so. And I’d just point out to him that all electoral systems have their flaws. That if we had a proportional representation system in which, for example, the Liberal Democrats were holding the balance of power, might not that be somewhat of a ‘tyranny of the minority’?

Mr Kennedy: Mr Speaker, coming back to the Prime Minister, indeed coming back to the excellent first question at Question Time today, while we have one referendum that appears to be off the agenda could I make a constructive suggestion to him for another referendum. And that based on the fact that the Labour manifesto that he’s just stood and been re-elected on said that there will be a further review of the voting system in this country. Now is this going to be yet another pointless exercise or can the Prime Minister give the British public a guarantee, here and now, that in the course of this parliament, they will have the democratic right, through a referendum, to vote for a system of proportional representation?

Prime Minister: I can absolutely assure him that it will not be a pointless exercise. It will not be a pointless exercise. What I can’t assure him of, I’m afraid, that it’s going to result in a referendum on proportional representation. I can only say this to the Lib Dems: I’d have thought with all that’s [interference] going on in the world today this was a pretty odd sort of question.