Jack Straw defending Westminster old guard
Jack Straw is a one of Westminster's great political survivors. Part of this, I’m certain is down to the fact that he’s actually rather a polite and decent man.
He's been in the Cabinet for over a decade, and held many big ministerial jobs. A feather for each wind that blows, he was Blairite when it paid to be Blairite. Now he works for Gordon Brown.
Yet he seems to have worked himself up in to an uncharactistic flap this evening over David Cameron's plans to reduce the number of MPs by 10 percent.
In a speech to the Hansard society, Straw apparently says cutting the number of politicians would be "dangerous, destructive and anti-democratic".
Tell that to the voters, Jack.
There are too many MPs sitting in a supine, spineless House of Commons. We need fewer of them. Those that remain should do their job of holding government to account, not sucking up to it. To ensure that they keep their promises, we need direct democracy, including open primaries and popular initiative. Then, at last, our MPs might be properly accountable to the folk they're supposed to serve.
Establishment figures like Jack Straw might not like it, but it’s time for change in Westminster.