Having watched the last two weeks of revalations about MPs expenses, I am at a loss as to why the non-Tory press (and there is not much left of that these days) and now Labour politicians have suddenly decided that now is the time not to just review the way expenses are claimed and settled but that there is a pressing need for wholesale electoral reform.

Well, as a Liberal Democrat, I have been campaigning for electoral reform for many years. The current first past the post system elects governments with big majorities on less than 40% of the popular vote, it discriminates against anyone who is not a Tory or a Labour voter and it has been so discredited that all the new government systems that have been set up in recent years, (Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies) were all set up with proportional voting systems. The only reason that we do not have proportional representation in this country at local and national level is the fact that both of the big parties would lose out, and heavily.

The only way we will introduce a proportional voting system in this country is when the current first past the post system elects a parliament where Lib Dems hold the balance of power. Proportional representation will change the face of British politics totally, and about time too.

Which leads me to question why are Labour now beginning to talk about proportional voting systems. Those of us with long memories will remember that Tony Blair flirted with the idea in 1997 when he thought he might need Lib Dem support. The resulting Jenkins Report proposing electoral reform was dismissed into the long grass as soon as it was completed.

No, what Labour are doing, is using electoral reform as a smokescreen to hide away from the public’s abhorrence of the MPs expenses scandal, hoping to distract the debate away from how to clean up the House of Commons and on to different voting systems. Labour are hurting from the scandal which has revolted the voters and caused a more anti-Labour mood swing than anti-Tory even though it is the Tory toffs who have been some of the worst offenders.

Do not be fooled by the current Labour ploy. If you want electoral reform, vote Liberal Democrat !

And if you want a clean House of Commons then we need a transparent system of expenses for MPs and someone to watch over the system to prevent abuse with powers to punish offenders.