Pigs at the Trough and Political Reform

The expenses scandal currently roiling British politics features political pigs from both sides of the duopoly divide gorging themselves at the public trough, and may lead to some radical changes to business as usual in the parliament at Westminster. Scotland's Sunday Herald provides four views on rebuilding democracy in the wake of the scandal. Iain Macwhirter argues that electoral reform aimed at breaking open the duopoly order should be a top priority:

Westminster will only be reformed when it grasps the nettle of electoral reform. Tony Blair promised a referendum on the electoral system in 1997, but after he won a landslide majority he conveniently forgot about it. The two-party duopoly is underpinned by the electoral system which locks out minor parties. The entire focus of politics becomes the need to win the support of some 800,000 swing voters in key marginal constituencies. Hundreds of MPs in safe seats get a job for life and forget about their constituents. Voters stop voting because their votes don't seem to count for anything.