Dr. Alan Hardacre works for the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), one of Europe's leading think tanks based in Maastricht. As part of his work Dr Hardacre examines interest representation - the translation of the electorate’s interests into political decisions - decision-making processes and better regulation of politics. Total Politics speaks to him about the good and bad points of the British political system after Gordon Brown's decision to reform the British voting system.
Is the British political system outdated?
There is definite reason to have some change in the composition of notably the Upper House and the electoral system to slightly align it with almost all of the other EU member states’ electoral systems. I’m not sure whether outdated is the right word, but it is a system in need of change.
How would you reform it?
Having a fully elected two chamber system strikes me would bring about major differences in the British system. And secondly again, some form of change to move beyond the first-past-the-post system.
Do you think that constitutional reform would restore the electorate’s trust in Westminster?
The turnout in elections and engagement in politics have been declining for a considerable number of years. Reforming the system might change a few things but the underlying problems and the underlying perception of politics are not going to change.
Do you think the British actually want a new electoral system?
It’s not the pressing issue. Up until now there wasn’t a huge claim to have a referendum on the electoral system and certainly not just before the next general election. It’s good to put out to referendum and it’s something very good to ask the population: Are you happy with the system? This is what the new system could offer. This is how things should work but the whole question is over the timing of this.
How likely is a constitutional reform in Britain within the next decade?
The criticism is not per se against the actual proposal. It’s more against who it’s coming from and the time on which it’s being announced. So there does seem some measure for some constitutional change. I doubt you would have the whole package of change like the change of the two Houses and the electoral system all in one go. You’ll probably continue to see change in the two houses more so than in the electoral system. This will clearly take a long time to come about.
Do voting systems in other European countries represent the electorate’s interests better than the British one?
It depends on the individual who is representing them. It’s not the system that is going to define that. There are ways to change the statistics and create a closer link between the politician, the constituency and the voters. But the heart of the problem and why there is so much scepticism - in certain cases outright hostility - to the political class these days is on this issue on whether they feel actually represented.