Cameron has by all accounts decided to press on with presenting legislation introducing boundary changes.
At first glance this seems madness. It's hard to see how he can win. But we all know he needs those boundary changes if he's to stand any realistic chance of delivering a majority for the Tories at the next General Election. And the longer it looks like he can't deliver that, the less time he's got in charge of the Tories. As we all know, they're not afraid of changing their leader as soon as they think it will stand them in better shape for keeping or taking power. The clock's ticking. Hence this desperate throw of the dice...
....or is it it quite as desperate as it looks?
Maybe - just maybe, there's something else going on.
Nick's on the record to Parliament, supporting boundary changes, saying for example...
There can be no justification for maintaining the current inequality between constituencies and voters across the country.
If there was a Parliamentary debate around the changes to boundary's, Nick would have to speak in it. Why? Because he's the Cabinet minister with special responsibility for political and constitutional reform. And he'd have to stand up and effectively tell Parliament that either he didn't believe in the changes now - or he didn't support them back then.
He will be in a very difficult position.
I suspect Cameron has war gamed this. And sees further heaped embarrassment for the Lib Dems as a big upside. Popular with his back benches. Shows he wont let us dictate what policy he can or cannot introduce (whether he can deliver it or not). A man of principle - vs. Nick, the political opportunist. It's all upside for him.
And who knows - maybe something will turn up and he'll actually win.
Once again - this potentially could play very badly for the Lib Dems.
But their are two issues - the one you mention of equality of voters, and the reduction in the number of MPs.
ReplyDeleteNick Clegg and all Lib Dems can support the former and reject the latter,calling for a fresh set of proposals based on 650 MPs rather than 600. If this means that they are delayed beyond the next election it is not that great a problem as the current constituencies were new for the last General Election.
The rationale for reducing the number of constituencies to 600 was that there would be a democratic element to the HoL.
Its quite clear, The Tories did not keep their side of the bargain so it is no bargain at all, no need to complicate..K.I.S.S>!
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