When I was 23 years old, I was arrested for chaining myself to the railings of the Palace of Westminster in a student protest in favour of proportional representation (PR).
The protest lasted all of about 40 seconds before the Old Bill came a-screeching around the corner (lurking, as they were, in Cannon Row nick there).
Me and nine of my mates - two of us girls and eight lads in total - were swiftly extricated from the fine ironwork with wire cutters, bundled into the meat wagon, and banged up in Bow Street Magistrates slammer (now no longer with us, of course) for a few hours to cool our heads.
We even made "News at Ten" that night (we'd lined up ITN of course, even then I was a true professional). It were a right giggle. The next day we were all fined a tenner and bound over to keep the peace. I had a criminal record for several years after that. Needless to say, my mum was not best pleased.
I tell this story not to make you smile (although I hope it has) but to establish my credentials as one who has been steeped in, and who understands, the theory of electoral reform.
As a graduate student, I worked for the Campaign for Electoral Reform for over a year; it is a sad fact that, even now, I can bore for Europe about electoral systems and can explain the "Single Transferable Vote moveable quota" in some detail (this bizarre fact could be compared with, say, Bet Lynch being able to explain the off-side rule).
But it is a strange fact that, despite my history and my political upbringing, in the early hours of this morning I really did NOT want to see what I hoped and yearned for when I was in my 20s: a hung parliament.
I wouldn't for a moment claim that first-past-the-post was fair. Far from it. But it is a symptom of the dire straits in which we find ourselves, economically, that I just do not believe that we can afford the luxury of a debate over PR at this stage.
We're on our bloody knees and the markets continue to tumble around the world! Ian Coull summed up the position on behalf of the property sector last Friday (see blog 04.05.10) and it is pretty clear to me that we need a proper authoritative government with a clear mandate to help us rebuild our economy and fast. And I cannot believe that this morning we just don't have it, it is such a disappointment.
Followers of this blog will be aware that BURA was totally demoralised during the election, due to the regeneration sector and - far more importantly - the communities we serve, being seemingly airbrushed out of the process. #
We decided to get both mad and even, departing from our usual meek and consensual approach, and began to tell it How-It-Is in this blog and others, in the trade press and in our broadcasts and elsewhere (I even have a piece in the Times today, it seemed altogether appropriate to thunder for the truth in "the Thunderer").
This election result, thus far (writing at 9am on Friday), is nothing short of a shambles. Much comment is being made about the Labour and Conservative positions on electoral reform.
Believe me, this will be as nothing to the nuanced internecine warfare that will break out within the Liberal Democrats over the next few days: expect a pitched battle between the multifarious variants of STV versus AV versus the double count system. It will be exhausting and abstruse. And we are fiddling while Rome burns.
And my sense of outrage on behalf of the regeneration of Britain's cities and communities becomes ever keener. The very worst thing is that, whilst everyone is preoccupied with constitutional reform, none of the parties will acknowledge the huge potential for regeneration to underpin the economic recovery.
But, rest assured, we are hell bent on working with whoever manages to form a government, to rebuild our sector come what may.
Jackie
The current result has been delivered by the "first past the post system" not PR or any system that better represents how people voted. The truth is that the result represents how the votes went under that system, and, even with the current discrimination against/unfair representation of people who voted for any other parties, it reflects that no party won the majority of seats let alone the majority of votes! The electorate did not deliver a mandate to any party.
So what is it that you want? That people should have voted differently or that the system should further discriminate against smaller parties?
Now is the time to ensure that any potential partners of the major parties understand the regeneration case. Any new coalition could put regeneration back on the agenda. This could be an opportunity, not a threat.
Michael
I fear that, unlike David Cameron, this blog does not face up to the Realpolitik of the current situation and the significance of electoral reform.
Cameron knows that there is little chance of a Tory Queen's Speech without a deal with the Lib/Dems. The only alternative is a deal with the DUP, which is unlikely given the disastrous Tory alliance with the UUP.
Unlike the ravings of the myopic Tory press and the sizeable right wing rump inside the Tory Party, who are urging Cameron to go it alone, he has been clear from day one that he needs to do a deal. He set out his stall and included electoral reform as an issue to be talked about.
It is clear that he needs either a coalition which gives him five years rule with a 70+ majority or a minority administration kept in power by Lib/Dem abstentions until such time as it falls in a vote of confidence.
Some right wing fantasists think the latter would lead to a general election and a Tory landslide. I don't think Cameron is going to risk that if he can avoid it. Remember 1974.
To do any deal, electoral reform is central and, despite doubt as to whether the backbench will back it, the Tories are desperate for power and office.You will be surprised what deals can be made against such a background.
Far from electoral reform being irrelevant to stabilising the financial crisis, the opposite is the case: without a deal on electoral reform this saga will go on for some time to come. We will be in a very risky position outside the Eurozone/IMF financial umbrella.
I would have thought, Jackie, with your experience and involvement in the electoral reform agenda you should be encouraging the parties to find a compromise so government can start to work again.
For the regeneration sector, the longer this goes on the further regeneration goes back on the political agenda, Even further back from where it currently stands!!