Electoral Reform - An Empty Vote

Gordon Brown has written a comment is free piece over on the Guardian subtitled:

I will do everything I can to secure a referendum to let the people decide on electoral reform.

Can't help but think he'd be better off not mentioning the words "referendum" in the same sentence as anything alluding to New Labour and promises. Tony Blair pledged to do exactly the same thing their 1997 manifesto and lest we forget the Europe referendum that repeatedly never was.

Faith and trust in parliament has taken a severe knock in the past year, but I do not believe people have lost their appetite for politics, or for the change it can bring.

Indeed politics at the moment is like a haggis, bon appetit. Yet when Brown speaks of reforming politics via the voting system, it's just pointless without addressing what has done the most damage - expenses, lack of transparency, accountability, over-powerful whips and party machines etc. Otherwise the only thing you're changing is the MPs, it's like painting over mould and hoping no one notices the smell. As though I support a change in the voting system, I don't at the expense of ignoring more important reform that is yet to surface.

The vote for Browns "election reform" is thought to be next week as he says:

I am determined to do everything I can to take on and persuade those who want to deny the people the chance to decide at a referendum, and I will build support across the Commons, the Lords and the country.

Support he created in less than a working week, now that would be a good use of whips "leadership". So perhaps he could use some of that "leadership" to get the basics right first, like what on earth is going on with expenses, everyone is paying something back while 5 Sirs report on the report, that 3 separate Sirs created and rules get changed but parliament doesn't vote, but everyone criticises everyone else including the Sirs? Certainly seems the best way forward for a clear transparent system.