Comments on: What should liberals do in Buckingham?

By: Taking risks is about more than stunts

Taking risks is about more than stunts — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:31:10 +0000

[...] David Marquand’s idea about self-organising elections to the Lords (my response here) and Mark Littlewood’s idea about fielding a candidate in Buckingham (my response here). I’m really not trying to be difficult, so I will try to lay out what sort [...]

By: Quaequam Blog! » Taking risks is about more than stunts

Quaequam Blog! » Taking risks is about more than stunts — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:34:00 +0000

By: David Evershed

David Evershed — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:57:54 +0000

The Buckingham constituency Liberal Democrats have put forward an emergency motion at the Federal Conference to create an honorary constituency for the Speaker. This will allow all main parties to put forward a candidate in the Buckingham constituency at the next general election or at least for the Liberal Democrats to do so.

The motion is as follows:

EMERGENCY MOTION FOR LIB DEM FEDERAL CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 2009

Submitted by Buckingham Local Party

RESTORING DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS TO VOTE IN GENERAL ELECTIONS

Conference notes that the election of John Bercow as Speaker of the House of Commons means that he must stand as a non-partisan candidate for his constituency in every general election which occurs during his tenure as Speaker.

Conference further notes that:

A. if the main parties follow the Parliamentary convention of not standing against the Speaker, thousands of voters who would have voted for one of these parties will be denied their democratic right to vote for the party of their choice in the next and subsequent general elections;
B. at the forthcoming general election, the convention is unlikely to be respected by all the UK parties, especially those with no current representation in the House of Commons.

Conference notes with dismay that, nearly half a century after Jeremy Thorpe joined in proposing a bill to give the Speaker an honorary constituency, electors are still being effectively disenfranchised by an outdated convention.

Conference therefore urges:
1. the Government to add to the constitutional renewal bill a provision which would automatically appoint the Speaker as MP for an honorary constituency, freeing his former constituents to exercise their democratic right to vote for the party of their choice; and
2. Liberal Democrat decision-makers at all levels to ensure that, if this reform is not in place by the time of the general election, a Liberal Democrat candidate will stand in the Speaker’s constituency to enable voters to make a true and unfettered democratic choice at the ballot box.

01.09.09

By: burkesworks

burkesworks — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:36:08 +0000

“Convention”? What “convention”, exactly? I posted here about previous General Election contests involving a sitting Speaker, and I noticed that Labour and the forerunners to what are now the Lib Dems had no such compunction about obeying “convention” and running candidates. It’s not as if the examples I gave are taken from ancient history either.

Run a LibDem candidate and give the voters of Buckingham that option. Chances are they won’t win, knowing the electoral make-up of the constituency – but more chance than not running at all.

By: UKIP Treasurer resigns « Agent Orange

UKIP Treasurer resigns « Agent Orange — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:39:34 +0000

[...] but a vote for Farage certainly isn’t a vote to clean up politics. It does then improve the case for putting a proper sleaze-busting liberal on the ballot-paper in [...]

By: Mark Littlewood

Mark Littlewood — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:52:03 +0000

I’m actually of the view that Nigel Farage is a classical liberal, in very many ways.

But he’s hardly a constitutional radical. His basic policy is to revert the UK’s constitution to where it was in 1972. And that everything that’s happened since has been bad.

If Buckingham mattered because of liberal issues like freedom of speech, nannying on lifestyle issues, the database state etc., then Farage would be a very compelling candidate for radical liberals.

But Buckingham doesn’t matter for those reasons. It matters because of our own domestic constitutional catastrophes.

If democratic constitutional reformers believe that a straight choice between Farage and Bercow is a fair, clear and conclusive one for the Buckingham electorate, then I truly despair.

If the party doesn’t fight this seat (and it should), we must at least strive to find a liberal, reforming candidate to put on the ballot paper.

By: Jack Elwood

Jack Elwood — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:38:42 +0000

@Anton

Not to mention the fact that he obviously wouldn’t have to deal with party whips and won’t be anywhere near as marginalised as the other libertarian leaning MPs.

By: Anton Howes

Anton Howes — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:10:14 +0000

Isn’t Farage fairly liberal, particularly when compared with the rest of his party? He’d certainly be a very libertarian MP.
I’d have thought that from an ideological perspective that’s a no-brainer.

But yes, convention or no convention?

By: Angela Harbutt

Angela Harbutt — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:18:07 +0000

I like the idea of a viable third candidate standing against the two tories. There is a very distinct possibility that a reasonable proportion of liberal/anti-sleaze voters will actually want a choice in the matter and Burcow/Farage do not offer much choice. I certainly think that a candidate that can highlight the hypocrisy of Farage/Burcow (neither of whom represent a “new face” of clean politics) would provide a valuable addition to the debate. There is also the chance that the rightwing vote gets split amongst these two leaving a viable third candidate a reasonable (if still tough) chance.Whether that is a Lib Dem candidate or a more general “clean up politics” candidate is probably a matter for the party HQ. But I am sure the local party could endorse a third candidate even if they were advised by HQ not to field an official candidate. If I were a Lib Dem supporter in Burcows seat I would offer my services to a liberal candidate if no Liberal Democrat candidate was fielded. I for one hope someone steps up to the challenge.

By: Ollie Cromwell

Ollie Cromwell — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:39:20 +0000

@Mark yes I get your point, I guess it just menas that throughout their history the Liberal Party and then the Lib Dem’s have been conservative. With regards to this convention at least.