Labour have launched their election manifesto promising to continue the work of the last 13 years; improving our public services and keeping Britain on the road to economic recovery.
This was widely expected.
What won my attention was the Party's pledges on electoral reform. They have promised a referendum on the Alternative Vote - postponed as a result of the 'wash-up' at the end of the last parliament - which will bring the number of seats won by a party in direct line with the percentage of votes cast. It will bring an end to the absurd situation we have now, of a party winning the largest number of seats in the House of Commons on less than 50% of the vote, as has been the case in so many previous elections. If the results of the most recent opinion polls were to be reflected in the actual result on May 6, either the Conservatives or Labour could win power on less than 40% of the popular vote, which is just plain wrong.
Gordon Brown has promised to also bring in fixed-term parliaments. This is a measure which is long overdue. It would bring an abrupt halt to endless media speculation on when a Prime Minister is likely to call an election and most important, would allow politicians to get on with the business of governing without unnecessary distractions.
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