Political change is almost impossible to achieve, yet the Brexit vote, whatever you view might be of Brexit, showed that mass support of real votes can make a difference whereas the Liberal Democrats have had a presence in parliament for 26 years and have not made a major political difference. In fact, their one big opportunity in 2010 when they formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, led to them betraying their voters outrageously to get themselves important sounding jobs. The same goes for all smaller parties, even with representation, though we have few that can breach the high benchmark to win a seat. Even then, as total power rests with the Prime Minister, all ‘opposition’, if you can call it that, is largely impotent. This is why the two parties that swap this absolute power periodically will never sanction anything that would deny them that. Although, there are some individual MPs who support broader representation, their leaders know that the current system suits them, even if it doesn’t suit the people. The Conservative Party have the ‘baton’ for 60% of the time and the Labour Party 40%. Both parties prefer this arrangement to never having absolute power ever again, even though it is this one aspect, which is the principal cause of our hugely dysfunctional political system.
Although there are always parties who can garner very significant support, they can never breach the FPTP (First Past The Post) barrier and even in the rare instances when it is breached that success is submerged in the quagmire which is British politics. We know then that small parties can’t make a legislative difference, even with millions of votes (UKIP 3.8m in 2015 GE and The Brexit Party 5.25m in the 2019 EU parliament elections). We also know that a powerful single issue can gather mass support, mass votes, and change huge constitutional issues, as the Brexit referendum confirms. It then follows that if such support were to get behind electoral and constitutional reform, such changes could also be driven in the same way. Here’s where you come in. It took about 17 years, with a great deal of financial backing for people to begin to understand the arguments for leaving the European Union. It may take a similar time for people to understand the radical changes in ‘The Living Vote’.
When UKIP was formed there was already significant backing to grow the party but, we have no such platform now. Just because it’s a great idea, would lead to a much better parliament and a much better politics, doesn’t mean it will happen. In fact, even those who purport to support electoral reform aren’t really interested in doing that, so we need boots on the ground and money in the coffers to begin to make headway. Mass support for change is essential, the party can’t do that without and only you can; so, get on board, make your views known, spread the word and have a say in how we move forward. Join the movement and be part of its growth. The Irony is, that I may never see this come to fruition personally. I’m already seventy-seven, so there will be no personal benefit to me, no wealth to look forward to and no recognition, whatever happens.
These ideas, the book, the party, and the evolution of democracy that would ensue, will be driven by others. People who also want better politics will take on roles, grow the party, and some will lead that growth. This is for us, all of us, which is why you are so important for change to happen.