UK electoral reform

The Independent reports:

The British government faces a second Tory backbench revolt over plans to change the rules to delay a general election if the Liberal-Conservative coalition collapses.

Senior Conservative MPs oppose a plan to give David Cameron or another senior politician 14 days to form a new administration if the Government is defeated in a Commons vote of confidence.

They say the proposed breathing space would weaken the powers of the Queen and they want her to retain the right to decide when to call an election.

Those so called senior Tories are talking nonsense about the Queen’s powers. She does not decide when elections are called, except in the rarest of scenarios.

What is proposed is quite standard, if you have a fixed term Parliament. If a Government loses a confidence vote in the House, you see if an alternate Government can be formed. If not, then you dissolve Parliament.

14 days is a reasonable amount of time to wait to see, and rather than be a hindrance for the Queen, it actually will be a protection. She is less able to be attacked, because the law will have less discretion for her.

If we ever move to a fixed term Parliament here, then we may need to debate how to deal with successful no confidence motions.