Scottish Electoral System - Westminster Hall Debate
From Democracywiki
Central Lobby
December 2005
On 9 November Tom Harris MP (Labour, Glasgow South) held a Westminster Hall debate calling for a ban on dual candidacy for the Scottish Parliament. The proposal would mirror the proposals currently going through Parliament for the Welsh Assembly in the Better Governance for Wales white paper. He argued that election results should be respected and that failed constituency candidates should not be able gain membership of the Scottish Parliament through party lists. Jo Swinson MP (Liberal Democrat, East Dunbartonshire) argued that introducing STV for elections to the Scottish Parliament, as has already been done for local government elections in Scotland, would solve this problem as it would keep the constituency link and also allow for a degree of proportionality. Scottish Office minister David Cairns declined to comment on the proposal in detail as he did not want to pre-empt the publication of the Arbuthnott Commission on Boundary Differences and Voting Systems which is due to report at the beginning of 2006.
