Clause 1 - Piloting conduct at European and local elections
European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Bill
10:30 am
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
If, on Report, the hon. Gentleman were to table an amendment suggesting that that figure should be three quarters, I would hardly be likely to oppose it. I have explained that I chose two thirds because I wanted the amendment to require a clear majority of local authorities to agree. I anticipated that if I were to propose that all local authorities had to agree, the Minister might have said, ''Well, what if there was a maverick local authority? One authority could block the process, and that would be unfair.'' That is why I chose two thirds, but I would not have a problem if the hon. Gentleman were to suggest three quarters.
My point is that, in an established constitutional settlement, we tinker with such things at our peril. In answer to his other point about the low turnouts in European elections—[Interruption.] I agree with the
sedentary, but very helpful comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend, East that turnout is so low because of the British people's huge dissatisfaction with the whole European process and the democratic deficit, and because they do not regard the European Parliament as being significant.
Every general election from the second world war to 1997 had a turnout of more than 70 per cent. The dramatic fall in the turnout for the 2001 general election was largely due to a general dissatisfaction with the Labour Government, and to people's belief that it would not matter a great deal whether they voted. There was not a huge engagement with politics. I am looking forward to hearing from the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Harris)—I understand entirely why he cannot be with us today—who made a very powerful speech on Second Reading last Tuesday about the malign effect of the media in increasing cynicism about politics. That was also a significant factor in the lower turnout for the general election.
If we left the position alone but increased the opportunity for people to vote by post if they had good reason for doing so, we would not need a lot of this modernising nonsense. I hope that that deals with the point made by the hon. Member for North Tayside.
We feel strongly about amendments Nos. 16 and 18. As was said in a debate on another Bill on which the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome and I led for our respective parties, it is good to start a Committee with one of the most important points of substance. We are not starting with trivialities, because the first group of amendments on the first clause go to the heart of our concerns. I will listen with interest to the Minister, but I hope that despite the catastrophic defeat that the Government have already suffered this morning, he will be reasonable and listen to our genuine attempts to improve the Bill and to build in more safeguards.