Labour must seize this chance to deliver change

By Michael Calderbank

Assuming that David Cameron can deliver the support of his MPs on a whipped vote, we look set to see a referendum on the Alternative Vote next May (alongside the elections to the devolved assemblies and local councils outside London). This is something that Labour promised in its own election manifesto, and finally gives the British voters the chance to change the way MPs are elected. Alongside elections to the second chamber to be conducted using a system of proportional representation, we stand on the threshold of a significant advance towards a new, more democratic political culture.

These concessions could not have been forced from the Conservatives were it not for the broad public campaigning that has forced reform onto the agenda, and Labour supporters at all levels of the party have made an essential contribution to this. Of course, the Liberal Democrats have their own reasons for backing reform – and will not make natural allies in a period where they are supporting George Osborne’s package of draconian cuts and regressive taxes. Yet surely the cause of democracy is more important than short-term party advantage. The fact that Nick Clegg is on one side of this particular fence is hardly sufficient reason for a Labour volte face. Were we to oppose democratic reform we would be aligning ourselves with the Tory right in an unholy alliance in defence of the status quo.

The question of Labour’s attitude towards the referendum is already dividing the leadership candidates, with both the Milibands backing the change to AV but Andy Burnham arguing on This Week last night that he is still considering the arguments for AV. He had previously said change is “irrelevant…a kind of fringe pursuit for Guardian-reading classes”.

This tired old cliché is explicitly rejected by the TUC’s Brendan Barber in their recent discussion of the issue. Barber writes:

“Voting systems can have a real impact on the lives of ordinary people…Power and wealth become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands without countervailing pressures secured through democratic institutions, law and regulation, quality public services and a strong, vibrant civil society. None of those are possible without a democratic society. This is why it is right for unions to play a part in this important debate.”

Not even the most enthusiastic supporter of reform would suggest that the issue should take priority over the major battles ahead over defending jobs and services from the savage cuts the new coalition is planning. But Labour will do itself no favours if it tries to present the future of our democratic system as a mere “distraction”. In the wake of the MPs’ expenses crisis, requiring every MP to receive a mandate from the majority of the voters in their constituencies will increase the legitimacy of the decision taken by parliament.

There are still many tricky issues to be negotiated – not least the Tory attempts to bind the referendum into a Bill which also gives a green light to a barely-concealed gerrymandering of consistuency boundaries. But this is not a time for Labour to lose sight of the bigger picture. Every membership card reads “The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party”. Let’s hope that the party lives up to that claim in the critical period ahead.