Open letter to the “Alliance for Radical Democratic Change” (AFRDC) from GET PR DONE!

 

Open letter to the “Alliance for Radical Democratic Change” (AFRDC)

By GET PR DONE!

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham/Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford/Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown

 

We appreciate that your new Alliance is looking at the issue of democratic change which is vital in making our society more equitable. But we are sure that tens of thousands of electoral reformers will be very disappointed — indeed perplexed — by your decision to omit any reference to proportional representation (PR) from the 1 June mission statement of a group that is calling for “radical democratic change.”

Not wanting to change the voting system comes across as illogical if you are serious about making other reforms. And, to be clear, PR is not especially “radical.” More than 90 countries around the world already use PR and this far fairer voting system elects the legislatures in both Wales and Scotland. Westminster is the laggard.

Moreover, we are doubly disappointed that two leading Labour politicians strongly in favour of PR — namely, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford — have obviously lost out in making PR a part of your group’s mission statement. Other Scottish politicians from the Greens and the Liberal Democrats, two parties which also support PR as a matter of policy, have obviously lost out as well.

SUPPORT FOR A CHANGE TO PR GROWING RAPIDLY 

Your statement is being issued at a time when the overwhelming majority of Labour Party members support PR and three of its largest unions — UNITE, UNISON and USDAW —- all support PR. So do the majority of UK voters. Only the Conservative Party still supports the archaic first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system. 

Set up in the 1880s, FPTP is notoriously undemocratic. It has created hundreds of safe seats and means that millions of votes are wasted. Minorities often rule. Under PR, by comparison, seats won match votes cast. PR is far more equitable and nonpartisan.  

AFRDC, which is headed by former PM Gordon Brown, was set up in Edinburgh on 1 June.  Here is a press release of its launch:   
https://ourscottishfuture.org/leaders-to-form-new-alliance-to-change-uk/

We in GET PR DONE! ask that the AFRDC consider revising its mission statement and include PR as a basic democratic principle for a democratic country. Retaining FPTP is simply indefensible for democrats.   

Signed,

The steering group of GET PR DONE!

Established in January 2020, GET PR DONE! is a cross party/ no party campaign group that aims to do what it is says on the tin.  https://getprdone.org.uk/                    getprdone@gmail.com 

Councils for PR - Launch Event May 23rd 7pm

 

Councils for PR is a new campaign by Make Votes Matter and GET PR DONE! We aim to encourage our councils to declare their support for proportional representation (PR) voting for Parliamentary elections.

Join us on Zoom at 19:00 on Monday, May 23rd to hear from our speakers as to how you can contribute:

• Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South;
• Amelia Womack, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales;
• Cllr Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat, Cheltenham Borough Council;
• Cllr Ricky Knight, Green, Barnstaple Town Council

In our Zoom session, we will discuss:

• How councils can contribute to national political campaigns by passing resolutions. Many, for example, declared their recognition of the Climate Emergency.
• Our model motion for councillors to move at their council.
• Which councils have already passed a motion in support of PR.
• How you can help take this fledging campaign forward and./or join our core organising team. .  

Please RSVP and we'll send you the Zoom link.

Both Make Vote Matter and GET PR DONE! believe we should today practice the collaborative and co-operative politics that PR can deliver in the future. Hence, C4PR as a joint venture.

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About our Guests:

Clive Lewis has been the Labour MP for Norfolk South since 2015. He is widely recognised as the leading campaigner for PR within the Labour Party and regularly works on a cross-party basis with the Layla Moran of the Lib Dems and Caroline Lucas of the Greens.

Amelia Womack has been deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since 2019. Since taking up that post, Amelia has worked across the country, visiting hundreds of local campaigns, events and organisations

Max Wilkinson is the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Cheltenham constituency. Max, a former journalist, is the cabinet member for the climate emergency at Cheltenham Borough Council.

 

Ricky Knight is a Green councillor in Barnstaple and a founding member of Councils for PR.