A letter to Nick Clegg on electoral reform.

I'm sure many are now following the developments in Westminster after the election resulted in a hung parliament. If you listened to me on the radio earlier you would have heard that this was indeed what I wanted to happen, in order that we could reform the voting system to something more proportional, something more representative of the views of the people in this country.

So, now we know that the Liberal Democrats have an offer from both the Labour Party and the Conservatives. What should they do? Well, here's the email I fired off to Nick Clegg and Chris Fox (Liberal Democrat party Chief Executive) this morning, through the Vote For A Change site. I guess I'm sticking my head above the parapet by giving up my right to an anonymous vote here, but if you agree with any of this, now might be the time to click here and do the same.

Dear Mr Clegg and Mr Fox,

I am writing to you as a first time Liberal Democrat voter; I have always voted Labour in the past, but had decided that a hung parliament was our best chance in a generation to achieve real reform of the voting system, to achieve PR. I also decided that you were the party most able to deliver on this in the event of a hung parliament.

I understand that there is a lot to be considered in the current negotiations, but I urge you in the strongest possible terms to not compromise on the key item of getting a referendum on electoral reform. David Cameron's promise of a committee to investigate options sounds like a line lifted right from Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes Minister, as nothing more than an attempt at delay. Furthermore, it is also clear that electoral reform of the sort we both want is clearly unpalatable to the Conservative party and their supporters, and any talk otherwise by them can only be treated as just that: talk.

I, along with many other Liberal Democrat voters that I know, support you as a progressive party, in the same spirit as the Labour Party but with a the right views on issues around civil liberties, foreign relations, human rights, etc. The one thing that the election made clear is that there is now a clear progressive majority in the country as a whole: over 50% of the electorate. This is the mandate that we have given the politicians, and I implore you to find the way to make this work.

Do not underplay your hand in these negotiations, you can deliver us a referendum on electoral reform, we are all counting on you to do it, and will back you all the way.

Yours in good faith and expectation,

Peter.

Please also let me point out to any Labourites about to accuse me of abandonment and that I deserve what I get etc., that there are many many reasons why I am utterly unhappy with Labour too, but I live in a safe Labour seat and this also informed my vote. Perhaps, depending on the outcome of this whole process I'll write a little more about Labour too.