Fixed-term Parliaments Bill

I like the young new Member vigorously advancing an argument that I find so convincing. The measure is not appropriate for a serious democracy. Clause 2, as my hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Mr Cash) said, is an endeavour to entrench. It is as simple as that. We cannot ignore a wider picture of what is going on. At this moment, loyal and good dinner guests of those who run my party are marching into the Lords to take their place. Their doing so means that when the Bill comes to be voted on—remember, the other House that has to deal with that is the Lords—the numbers able to vote on it in the Lords in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat interest will have increased exponentially. Overall, the Bill—clause 2, the other clauses, the Speaker's certificate, the idea of a registered leader of a registered party and so on—is, if not humbug, then designed to defeat the very purposes that most of us in the House want, an open democratic House. I know that this is difficult in politics, but my Conservative colleagues should listen, understand and think about the 200 very new Members in the House who are going to change a constitution without any reference point other than party loyalty. Party loyalty to what? No mandate? They are going to march blindly through the Lobby at the behest of the concept of party, when in a coalition that is a very different matter. I shall certainly vote for amendment 4, and I hope there will be many who take that course.