Guest blog: Liberal Democrat Colin Eldridge on alternative vote and constituency boundaries
At the special Lib Dem conference after the General Election I voted to support the coalition for a number of reasons, not least the possibility of electoral reform. Whilst the Alternative Vote system (AV) is not a system of proportional representation (PR) it is a step in the right direction.
The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill was introduced to the House of Commons by Nick Clegg on the 22nd July 2010. It has a number of clauses which will be of interest to anyone with an interest in Merseyside politics.
Firstly, the referendum for AV is set to be held on 5th May 2011, which is the same day as the next set of local elections across Merseyside. This will mean that there will be a dual campaign with a different dynamic. Will council candidates also campaign for or against the referendum? Will political parties? How will the media and press coverage affect the campaign? The 2010 local elections were completely overshadowed by the General Election, is the same possible next May?
Part 2 of the Bill stipulates that the number of parliamentary constituencies will be capped at 600. This will mean a reduction of 50 seats and a complete new boundary review before the next election. Given this, Merseyside would almost certainly lose at least 1 seat, and every seat is likely to be redrawn. Anyone who remembers the last review, particularly the proposed Wallasay and Kirkdale Constituency, will realise that these can be very controversial.
At the last review Knowsley South was abolished. Which seat will go this time? If Liverpool loses a seat the most likely to go is Wavertree given its geographical position in the middle of the rest. In this case presumably Louise Ellman would be persuaded to stand down in favour of Luciana Berger. Other seats under threat would include the newly created Sefton Central given its position sandwiched between Southport and Bootle. Knowlsey and St Helens already share a seat, something which would have to continue.
The area with the greatest need for reduction will be the Wirral where they are currently over represented. Will this lead to another cross river constituency proposal? Or will they use there common-sense and do Merseyside review at the same time as Cheshire to allow for a cross county boundary constituency? In this case Wirral South would be under treat.
Ofcourse, if the boundary commissioners want an easy fix, they could simply reduce the Wirral from 4 seats to 3. In which case Birkenhead would be the most likely to go, leaving Frank Field facing an enforced retirement.
Colin Eldridge is a former Liverpool councillor and contested the Liverpool Wavertree constituency at the last two general elections.
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David Bartlett
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'Hope springs eternal...', eh, Colin? If a boundary review gerrymandered a constituency containing only voters named Eldridge, from your great-granny down to your 6th cousin twice removed, you still wouldn't win!
Reading this article, the electorate of Wavertee chose wisely not electing you. VOTE LIB DEM GET A TORY