Where do the candidates stand on democratic reform?
After three years of ifs, buts and maybes since the “election that never was” debacle in 2007, we’re going to be put out of our misery this week. The phoney war that has been fought out by the political class, to the bemusement of the electorate, is one of the least appealing aspects of our elitist political culture. With this in mind, I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by responses from candidates to the general election policy comparison web initiative DEMREF 2010, which, for my sins, I have hurriedly got together in recent months. To date, the majority of candidates who have posted their views on DEMREF 2010 favour fixed-term parliaments (71 per cent support fixed terms, eight per cent oppose, 21 per cent undecided). Unsurprisingly most Liberal Democrat candidates support this reform, but it is interesting that most Labour hopefuls strongly back it too. Peter Hain and co, whom for tactical or principled reasons, I’m not sure which, are pushing for fixed-terms, should be buoy
