Results 1–20 of 1133 for speaker:Martin Linton

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Engagements ( 7 Apr 2010)

Martin Linton: Will my right hon. Friend heed the warning of the former Bank of England panel member David Blanchflower that if he followed the advice of the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) and the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) and took precipitate action to cut the deficit, it would lead not only to unemployment but to rising poverty, social disorder and soup kitchens?

Bill Presented — Tax and Financial Transparency Bill: Control of Dogs (30 Mar 2010)

Martin Linton: I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require dog-owners to have their dogs micro-chipped; to set a minimum age for dog ownership; to give courts powers to ban households from dog ownership; to require local authorities to provide kennelling for stray dogs and to nominate responsible officers for dog control; to extend the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to...

Bill Presented — Tax and Financial Transparency Bill: Control of Dogs (30 Mar 2010)

Martin Linton: Perhaps not my hon. Friend's dog. Not all people want a gentle dog, however. Some train them to fight or be vicious to warn people off, and sometimes to help them to commit crimes. Others simply do not know how to train or look after them. For many such people, dogs are a weapon. As the penalties for possession of guns and knives have become tougher, they have turned to dogs. Indeed, they...

Oral Answers to Questions — Justice: UK Passports (Use in Dubai Murder) (23 Mar 2010)

Martin Linton: I commend my right hon. Friend on his decisive action in expelling a so far unnamed diplomat from the Israeli embassy, although he is of course welcome to name him. I have the diplomatic list, from the ambassador to the defence attaché, who, to refer to the previous question, just happens to be a Colonel Kaufman. May I urge my right hon. Friend to take similar action every time Israel...

Communications Allowance — [Frank Cook in the Chair] ( 3 Mar 2010)

Martin Linton: It is important to distinguish two issues in the debate. The first is the tsunami of party propaganda that has flooded through people's letterboxes. That is relevant because it is the justification that Lord Ashcroft himself gave for opposing the communications allowance. A completely separate issue is the right of MPs to report back to their constituencies. I am much more exercised about the...

Communications Allowance — [Frank Cook in the Chair] ( 3 Mar 2010)

Martin Linton: Will my hon. Friend give way?

Communications Allowance — [Frank Cook in the Chair] ( 3 Mar 2010)

Martin Linton: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Oral Answers to Questions — Health: Topical Questions (23 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: Given the success of the Government's breast cancer screening programme in reducing mortality in London by some 30 per cent. in the past 10 years, and given that breast cancer remains the UK's most common cancer, affecting one woman in nine, will the Minister ensure that there is a continued high rate of research in order to improve the survival rates and quality of life for cancer sufferers?

Written Answers — Health: Breast Cancer Research (23 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future funding of breast cancer research; and if he will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Binyam Mohamed (10 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: Will this case speed up the release and return of Mr. Shaker Aamer, to whom the Foreign Secretary referred and whose family live in my constituency? Is there any intelligence material about the torture of Mr. Aamer in our possession, and could that be a reason behind the reluctance of the US Government to agree to his return to this country?

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: I am more than happy to explain for the hon. Gentleman's sake. We have never had any MP elected on 6 per cent. in this country, but plenty of Members of the current House of Commons were elected on less than a third of the vote, and one was elected not so long ago on just over a quarter. Why are we frightened of the simple majoritarian principle that MPs should have majority support? Some of...

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: If that is a virtue of the first-past-the-post system, it must be an even greater virtue of the alternative vote system, because small, extreme parties would need to have the support of a majority of a constituency-albeit on second or third preferences-which would make it more difficult for them to be elected. However, the result would be closer to what people actually want.

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: Indeed. As they were speaking earlier, I looked up many of the Members taking part in this evening's debate, and I found that, with some notable exceptions, very few of them have more than 50 per cent. However, new clause 88 is important not just because a 2015 election might be fought on AV, but because the 2010 election might be fought at least partly on that issue. I want to be able to...

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: That is true. Although it would not have the same effect as a totally proportional system, AV would push elections in the direction of being more sensitive not just to the core voters of a particular party, but to the electorate in each constituency. That would focus politicians' minds on winning over the second preferences from other parties. That is a good discipline, and one that, at this...

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Cambridge (David Howarth). I shall be considerably briefer than him, even if it means taking fewer interventions. I would like to give an unreserved welcome to Government new clause 88. Some months earlier, I tabled new clause 32, with the support of my hon. Friends the Members for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) and for Reading, West (Martin...

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: I am enjoying listening to Conservative Members preaching proportionality to the rest of the Committee. As I understand it, they do not believe in proportionality. What the hon. Gentleman says is perfectly true: AV is perfectly fair in constituencies, but does not guarantee that the same will be true across the nation. However, it is a more proportional system than first past the post. There...

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: Of course, that could also be true under first past the post, but with one difference. I can think of a first-past-the-post election, although not in this country, in which somebody was elected with less than 6 per cent. The difference is that, if that freak result happened under the AV system, the result would depend on the second choices given to the other candidates, so somebody would not...

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: I must resist that, because I fear that we are going to go down a side issue.

Bill Presented — Climate Change (Sectoral Targets) Bill: New Clause 88 — Referendum on voting systems ( 9 Feb 2010)

Martin Linton: I know that my right hon. Friend has 65 per cent. of the first preference votes in Birkenhead, and I compliment him on that. Does he recognise that there are already millions of voters in hundreds of constituencies who know that their first preference does not have a chance and therefore vote for their second preference? We already live in a system where millions of people use the alternative...


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