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| Time for a Westminster revolution? | Time for a Westminster revolution? |
| (11 minutes later) | |
| Are we about to see centuries of ritual and tradition overturned? By Brian Wheeler Political reporter, BBC News | Are we about to see centuries of ritual and tradition overturned? By Brian Wheeler Political reporter, BBC News |
| Anyone watching MPs debate emergency reforms to their expenses system will not have detected a whiff of revolution in the air. | Anyone watching MPs debate emergency reforms to their expenses system will not have detected a whiff of revolution in the air. |
| It felt like business as usual in the Commons chamber - the same exaggerated courtesy between "honourable members", the same self-congratulatory jokes. | It felt like business as usual in the Commons chamber - the same exaggerated courtesy between "honourable members", the same self-congratulatory jokes. |
| There was little sense that the ground was shifting beneath the MPs as they spoke. | There was little sense that the ground was shifting beneath the MPs as they spoke. |
| Yet that is what a growing body of opinion believes could be happening - that we are witnessing the dying spasms of a centuries old and peculiarly British way of doing democracy. | Yet that is what a growing body of opinion believes could be happening - that we are witnessing the dying spasms of a centuries old and peculiarly British way of doing democracy. |
| Indeed, so shaken has the political establishment been by the expenses scandal that they are suddenly contemplating all kinds of ideas they had previously rejected as unwise, unworkable or hopelessly idealistic. | Indeed, so shaken has the political establishment been by the expenses scandal that they are suddenly contemplating all kinds of ideas they had previously rejected as unwise, unworkable or hopelessly idealistic. |
| These include (but are not limited to): | These include (but are not limited to): |
| • Proportional representation - Ending what critics see as the inherently unfair "first-past-the-post" system of electing MPs | • Proportional representation - Ending what critics see as the inherently unfair "first-past-the-post" system of electing MPs |
| • Fixed term parliaments - Ending the advantage to the ruling party of choosing the polling date | • Fixed term parliaments - Ending the advantage to the ruling party of choosing the polling date |
| • A written constitution - Setting out voters' rights and limiting the power of government | • A written constitution - Setting out voters' rights and limiting the power of government |
| • A fully elected second chamber - Ending the power of patronage and expelling the few remaining hereditary peers | • A fully elected second chamber - Ending the power of patronage and expelling the few remaining hereditary peers |
| • Curbing the power of the whips - Freeing MPs to to vote with their conscience more often rather than following the party line | • Curbing the power of the whips - Freeing MPs to to vote with their conscience more often rather than following the party line |
| • Fixed terms for MPs - So they do not become too cosy and complacent in their roles | • Fixed terms for MPs - So they do not become too cosy and complacent in their roles |
| • Boosting the power of select committees - Electing the chairmen rather than having them chosen by the whips and handing them greater investigatory powers | • Boosting the power of select committees - Electing the chairmen rather than having them chosen by the whips and handing them greater investigatory powers |
| It could all be a mirage of course. Once there has been a clear out of the bad apples deemed to have broken the rules on allowances, things may well return to normal in the Palace of Westminster. | It could all be a mirage of course. Once there has been a clear out of the bad apples deemed to have broken the rules on allowances, things may well return to normal in the Palace of Westminster. |
| Public pressure | Public pressure |
| There are plenty about the place who would warn against rash action based on a few weeks' bad headlines, and argue that Parliament works perfectly well as it is, all things considered. | There are plenty about the place who would warn against rash action based on a few weeks' bad headlines, and argue that Parliament works perfectly well as it is, all things considered. |
| When MPs defeat the government it is front page news | When MPs defeat the government it is front page news |
| Even those gripped by a zeal for reform could see it steadily dissipated in the familiar round of committees and working groups currently being set up, until everyone starts yawning and wondering what the fuss was about and the media caravan moves on to the next crisis. | Even those gripped by a zeal for reform could see it steadily dissipated in the familiar round of committees and working groups currently being set up, until everyone starts yawning and wondering what the fuss was about and the media caravan moves on to the next crisis. |
| Douglas Carswell, the backbench Conservative MP whose Early Day Motion helped trigger the downfall of Commons Speaker Michael Martin, believes the window of opportunity for those who want change will last about about 12 months. | Douglas Carswell, the backbench Conservative MP whose Early Day Motion helped trigger the downfall of Commons Speaker Michael Martin, believes the window of opportunity for those who want change will last about about 12 months. |
| The reformers' secret weapon, he argues, is public pressure exerted through blogs and e-mail. | The reformers' secret weapon, he argues, is public pressure exerted through blogs and e-mail. |
| "What is going to change things is the internet. It removes barriers to entry to politics. It means Westminster insiders no longer have the monopoly on political opinion." | "What is going to change things is the internet. It removes barriers to entry to politics. It means Westminster insiders no longer have the monopoly on political opinion." |
| Mr Carswell is something of a rarity. | Mr Carswell is something of a rarity. |
| Most new MPs put their head down and get on with the job of climbing Westminster's greasy pole, while at the same time, as we have learned in recent weeks, being inducted into the dark arts of the expenses system. | Most new MPs put their head down and get on with the job of climbing Westminster's greasy pole, while at the same time, as we have learned in recent weeks, being inducted into the dark arts of the expenses system. |
| Career suicide | Career suicide |
| But the Harwich MP, who was elected in 2005, refused to play the game almost from the start, speaking openly of his "revulsion" at the system and how, frankly, he was embarrassed to be an MP. | But the Harwich MP, who was elected in 2005, refused to play the game almost from the start, speaking openly of his "revulsion" at the system and how, frankly, he was embarrassed to be an MP. |
| It was career suicide, in conventional Westminster terms, but to his own surprise it appears to have paid off. | It was career suicide, in conventional Westminster terms, but to his own surprise it appears to have paid off. |
| In his book, The Plan, co-authored with Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who recently became a worldwide hit on YouTube with an attack on Gordon Brown, Mr Carswell sets out 28 steps to "renew our broken democracy" and "get our supine, spineless Parliament off its knees". | In his book, The Plan, co-authored with Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who recently became a worldwide hit on YouTube with an attack on Gordon Brown, Mr Carswell sets out 28 steps to "renew our broken democracy" and "get our supine, spineless Parliament off its knees". |
| The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics Ken Ritchie, Electoral Reform Society | The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics Ken Ritchie, Electoral Reform Society |
| The first two steps were a clean-up of the MPs expenses system and the removal of Speaker Michael Martin. | The first two steps were a clean-up of the MPs expenses system and the removal of Speaker Michael Martin. |
| Mission accomplished there, he might claim, but the real key to change does not lie exclusively within Parliament itself, he argues, but in the way MPs are selected and kept in line by over-mighty party machines. | Mission accomplished there, he might claim, but the real key to change does not lie exclusively within Parliament itself, he argues, but in the way MPs are selected and kept in line by over-mighty party machines. |
| As long as "seven out of 10 MPs believe they have a job for life," he says, there will be scope for "corruption" of the kind seen over expenses. | As long as "seven out of 10 MPs believe they have a job for life," he says, there will be scope for "corruption" of the kind seen over expenses. |
| 'Whips' patsies' | 'Whips' patsies' |
| He wants open primaries, in which all voters in a constituency get to choose the candidates that will stand for Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and the rest rather than party selection committees. | He wants open primaries, in which all voters in a constituency get to choose the candidates that will stand for Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and the rest rather than party selection committees. |
| And he believes voters should be given the power to recall their MPs if they are doing a bad job. | And he believes voters should be given the power to recall their MPs if they are doing a bad job. |
| He is also calling, along with 24 of his Tory colleagues from the 2005 intake, for more direct democracy - allowing part of the Queen's Speech setting out the government's legislative programme to be decided by public petition. | He is also calling, along with 24 of his Tory colleagues from the 2005 intake, for more direct democracy - allowing part of the Queen's Speech setting out the government's legislative programme to be decided by public petition. |
| Douglas Carswell - pictured on an MPs trip to Afghanistan - wants change | Douglas Carswell - pictured on an MPs trip to Afghanistan - wants change |
| Critics have argued that many of these ideas would undermine rather than strengthen democracy, leading to endless, vexatious attempts to de-select MPs, wreck candidate selection and give voice to the lunatic fringe. | Critics have argued that many of these ideas would undermine rather than strengthen democracy, leading to endless, vexatious attempts to de-select MPs, wreck candidate selection and give voice to the lunatic fringe. |
| Mr Carswell argues that they work in America, where open primaries and direct democracy have long been part of the political landscape. It is, he argues, the only way to hand a little self-respect back to the average backbench MP. | Mr Carswell argues that they work in America, where open primaries and direct democracy have long been part of the political landscape. It is, he argues, the only way to hand a little self-respect back to the average backbench MP. |
| "If we get to the stage where we have a general election where every single person returned as an MP had to go through a genuinely competitive contest to get there then I would be proud to be an MP. | "If we get to the stage where we have a general election where every single person returned as an MP had to go through a genuinely competitive contest to get there then I would be proud to be an MP. |
| "Until that happens, we are all the whips' patsies to some degree." | "Until that happens, we are all the whips' patsies to some degree." |
| Dying democracy | Dying democracy |
| The Tory MP may go further than most in his calls for a Westminster revolution - but he is hardly a lone voice in calling for reform. | The Tory MP may go further than most in his calls for a Westminster revolution - but he is hardly a lone voice in calling for reform. |
| Hardly a week goes by at Westminster without a seminar or speech on boosting "engagement" with voters. | Hardly a week goes by at Westminster without a seminar or speech on boosting "engagement" with voters. |
| The 2006 Power commission, chaired by Labour peer Baroness Kennedy, came up with a whole list of reforms it said was vital to save Britain's dying democracy. | The 2006 Power commission, chaired by Labour peer Baroness Kennedy, came up with a whole list of reforms it said was vital to save Britain's dying democracy. |
| I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat | I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat |
| These included an end to first-past-the-post elections at Westminster and the closed party list system used in European elections, limiting the power of the whips, decentralising power to local councils, tighter regulation of quangos and lobbyists, lowering the voting age to 16 and a cap on party donations. | These included an end to first-past-the-post elections at Westminster and the closed party list system used in European elections, limiting the power of the whips, decentralising power to local councils, tighter regulation of quangos and lobbyists, lowering the voting age to 16 and a cap on party donations. |
| For the Liberal Democrats and others, including a surprising number of Labour ministers, the key is an end to the first-past-the-post electoral system. | For the Liberal Democrats and others, including a surprising number of Labour ministers, the key is an end to the first-past-the-post electoral system. |
| Ken Ritchie, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, says: "The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics. | Ken Ritchie, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, says: "The expenses crisis has awakened in voters the need for radical change - that can only come by changing the rules of politics. |
| "We want to see a referendum on the voting system at the next general election so we can let people decide the playing field for politics." | "We want to see a referendum on the voting system at the next general election so we can let people decide the playing field for politics." |
| Gurkha rights | Gurkha rights |
| Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has led the campaign for more transparency in Parliament, is also a strong supporter of electoral reform but, he adds, "the essential thing is to re-balance the power between the executive and Parliament". | Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has led the campaign for more transparency in Parliament, is also a strong supporter of electoral reform but, he adds, "the essential thing is to re-balance the power between the executive and Parliament". |
| Gordon Brown pledged reform when he entered Number 10 | Gordon Brown pledged reform when he entered Number 10 |
| This means strengthening the independence and clout of the average backbench MP to hold the government to account and overturn unpopular legislation - something that currently happens so rarely that it makes front page news when it does, as in the recent vote on Gurkha settlement rights. | This means strengthening the independence and clout of the average backbench MP to hold the government to account and overturn unpopular legislation - something that currently happens so rarely that it makes front page news when it does, as in the recent vote on Gurkha settlement rights. |
| There is also the question of Parliament's rules and procedures - which are sometimes a mystery even to MPs themselves - and the archaic language used in the chamber, which Mr Baker believes distances politicians from those who pay their wages. | There is also the question of Parliament's rules and procedures - which are sometimes a mystery even to MPs themselves - and the archaic language used in the chamber, which Mr Baker believes distances politicians from those who pay their wages. |
| That is why the identity of the next Speaker - who will be elected by a secret ballot of MPs for the first time - will be so important, he argues, although he laughs off suggestions it could be him, saying that would be the "nuclear option" for MPs. | |
| Parliament cherishes its rituals and traditions and the Speaker has traditionally seen his or her role as a defender of them - but the pressure will be on the next incumbent to bring about reform. | Parliament cherishes its rituals and traditions and the Speaker has traditionally seen his or her role as a defender of them - but the pressure will be on the next incumbent to bring about reform. |
| Brown's big idea | Brown's big idea |
| And although MPs have proved remarkably resilient at resisting change, Mr Baker believes there is now a "real head of steam". | |
| "I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century," he adds. | "I believe we can drag Parliament into the 20th Century at least, if not the 21st Century," he adds. |
| When Gordon Brown gained power two years ago, constitutional reform was his big idea. | When Gordon Brown gained power two years ago, constitutional reform was his big idea. |
| The plans he floated, such as giving MPs the final say over going to war and confirmation hearings for public appointments, are not as far reaching as those being discussed now and were kicked into the long grass by the economic crisis. | The plans he floated, such as giving MPs the final say over going to war and confirmation hearings for public appointments, are not as far reaching as those being discussed now and were kicked into the long grass by the economic crisis. |
| But Mr Brown is said to be open to many ideas that have previously been rejected and is considering a special "constitutional convention" to discuss them. He has also promised an end to the "gentleman's club" arrangement, which saw MPs set their own rules. | |
| Tory leader David Cameron has also made positive noises about reform - including cutting the number of MPs and slashing unelected quangos. | Tory leader David Cameron has also made positive noises about reform - including cutting the number of MPs and slashing unelected quangos. |
| Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who has long tried to cast himself as a revolutionary force on this issue, has called the current crisis a once-a-generation opportunity to change politics for good. | Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who has long tried to cast himself as a revolutionary force on this issue, has called the current crisis a once-a-generation opportunity to change politics for good. |
| But in the end, it will be down to the public, at the next election, to decide whether democratic reform - previously seen as a rather dusty and arcane subject - is up there with the economy and public services as one of their top priorities at the ballot box. | But in the end, it will be down to the public, at the next election, to decide whether democratic reform - previously seen as a rather dusty and arcane subject - is up there with the economy and public services as one of their top priorities at the ballot box. |
| And whether the new intake of MPs - many of whom may be voted in specifically to clean up the system - will be able to bring about the changes demanded by voters or whether, like generations of new MPs before them, they will be seduced by the history and splendour of their surroundings and gradually lose interest. | And whether the new intake of MPs - many of whom may be voted in specifically to clean up the system - will be able to bring about the changes demanded by voters or whether, like generations of new MPs before them, they will be seduced by the history and splendour of their surroundings and gradually lose interest. |
| Perhaps they will discover, as revolutionaries throughout the ages have claimed, that you can not change the system from within. | Perhaps they will discover, as revolutionaries throughout the ages have claimed, that you can not change the system from within. |
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