Broken Constitution 2 - Renewing democracy

Date:

Speakers:

• Douglas Carswell, Member of Parliament for Harwich
• Polly Toynbee, Columnist, The Guardian
• Ben Wilson, author ''What price liberty?''
• Pam Giddy, Director, Power Inquiry (Chair)

The view that politicians aren’t always truthful; that most votes – and therefore voters – don’t count; that party donors have huge influence over the political process; that membership of the House of Lords is used to reward those donors – the reasons for the electorate’s growing disillusionment with British politics go on and on.

So, what should be the response? Are there too many MP’s? What is their role? Does the existence of so many ‘safe’ seats damage the democratic process? Would a more proportional voting system really prove better than the current one? Would an elected House of Lords be better able to block or revise defective legislation? And is it really possible to remove big money from the political process?