Now that the new government has emerged from the hung parliament, my attentions are turning to what will happen next. So, I may as well take the opportunity to set out my own blueprint for a better democratic future:
1. Make it mandatory for all eligible adults to vote in elections – although include a ‘none of the above' option on the ballot
2. Set a standard voting day for all elections – European, Parliamentary first chamber, Parliamentary second chamber (we will come to that), and locals, but as a quid pro quo also make it a bank holiday
3. Fix the parliamentary terms at four years, but staggered by two years, ie, the second chamber being elected two years after the first
4. Create a parliamentary first chamber of, say, 400 MPs, using proportional representation – parties to list their named candidates in strict order, and have elected as many as their share of the national vote, eg, if a party got 25% of the vote, their first 100 candidates would be elected. This chamber would then have no allegiance to particular places, only to their view of what would make for a better Britain
5. Create a parliamentary second chamber based on the current constituency model – perhaps with, say, 500 constituencies – to hold the first chamber to account through various scrutiny processes, based on the impact the first chamber's proposals would have on their own constituencies
6. Create a constitutional link between local government and Parliament – perhaps the second chamber MP could sit on the council executive or, would have a duty to consult with and have regard to the views of the council executive
7. Redesign local police and health boards on an ALMO-basis, with one-third of boards made up of councillors nominated by the council, one-third made up of service-users, and one-third made up of independents
8. Give local government a general power of competence to be able to simply get on with doing what needs doing.
Of course, the issue is not designing a ‘perfect' system, whatever your own personal view of that might be but, as with the discussions around party coalitions, the politics of managing the winners and losers from any change process.
On that basis, I won't be holding my breath for any of the above.
Abdool Kara is chief executive at Swale Borough Council.
