Take Back Parliament
Encyclopedia
Take Back Parliament is an organisation campaigning for democratic reform in the United Kingdom.
The group has a strong network of autonomous local branches but no paying membership. It has a number of campaign priorities, the most important of which is a commitment to a voting system of proportional representation
.
It is funded through voluntary donations, and in the past has received support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
There is no explicit governance structure as of the present time; key activists currently meet in the London offices of Unlock Democracy as an interim steering committee.
.This is down to the plurality, or first-past-the-post
, electoral system used in the UK, which TBP seeks to replace with a system of proportional representation.
TBP was formed as the last project of Power2010, a campaign group which grew out of the POWER report on British democracy. Power2010 has since merged with Unlock Democracy
.
TBP was formed originally as a coalition of groups campaigning for electoral reform, including the Electoral Reform Society
, Friends of the Earth
, the National Union of Students
, and many others.
The first action of Take Back Parliament was a large demonstration in Trafalgar Square
on May 8 2010, two days after the general election, attended by 2,000 people,which ended up in Smith Square, where the Liberal Democrat party was discussing whether to join the Conservative Party in a coalition government. This was followed by other actions around the country, including a snap flashmob in London on May 10 to pressure the Liberal Democrats to only accept a coalition deal if included a commitment to proportional representation.
It called a second national demonstration outside Parliament on May 28 2010, which it claimed had an attendance of 2,500 people. This ended up outside Downing Street.
These issues were determined as priorities following an online consultation. The option of Votes at 16 received more votes opposing it than supporting it and so is not currently considered a priority by TBP.
Alternative Vote Referendum, 2011=
Take Back Parliament took a leading role in the campaign for the Alternative Vote (AV) voting system during the 2011 referendum.
As AV, despite being a change to Britain's first-past-the-post voting system, was not a proportional system, the group held a consultation with those who signed its petition and its social media supporters. The result was that a majority supported either campaigning for AV as a step to proportional representation, or as an end in itself. TBP therefore announced it would be campaigning for the Alternative Vote in the referendum “as a stepping stone to PR, but only after other options are exhausted”.
The row over the Bill also led to the infamous House of Lords filibuster.
The controversy extended to TBP, with some, such as national co-ordinator Andy May, arguing that the Bill should be split into two separate pieces of legislation. In any event, the Bill was passed as composite legislation and was signed into law just before the deadline set by the Electoral Commission.
The group supported moves by some MPs to amend the Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill so that the electorate had a choice of a proportional voting system in the referendum. These amendments were unsuccessful.
See also=
The group has a strong network of autonomous local branches but no paying membership. It has a number of campaign priorities, the most important of which is a commitment to a voting system of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
It is funded through voluntary donations, and in the past has received support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Structure
Take Back Parliament is not a membership organisation. Instead it has activists and supporters, who get involved via the Internet or their local group. It has around 57,000 subscribers to its email updates.There is no explicit governance structure as of the present time; key activists currently meet in the London offices of Unlock Democracy as an interim steering committee.
Formation
Take Back Parliament was formed immediately prior to the general election, amid anger that the election results would not resemble in any way the actual share of the vote received by political parties standing for election to the British House of CommonsBritish House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.This is down to the plurality, or first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
, electoral system used in the UK, which TBP seeks to replace with a system of proportional representation.
TBP was formed as the last project of Power2010, a campaign group which grew out of the POWER report on British democracy. Power2010 has since merged with Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy is a UK pressure group, based in Islington, in London. The organisation campaigns for a more participatory democracy in the UK, founded upon a written constitution. Unlock Democracy works to promote democratic reform across the political spectrum and is not aligned with any...
.
TBP was formed originally as a coalition of groups campaigning for electoral reform, including the Electoral Reform Society
Electoral Reform Society
The Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.-Aims:...
, Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, the National Union of Students
National Union of Students
-British Isles:*National Union of Students**National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland**National Union of Students Scotland**National Union of Students Wales-Scandinavia:*Danish National Union of Students*National Union of Students in Finland...
, and many others.
The first action of Take Back Parliament was a large demonstration in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
on May 8 2010, two days after the general election, attended by 2,000 people,which ended up in Smith Square, where the Liberal Democrat party was discussing whether to join the Conservative Party in a coalition government. This was followed by other actions around the country, including a snap flashmob in London on May 10 to pressure the Liberal Democrats to only accept a coalition deal if included a commitment to proportional representation.
It called a second national demonstration outside Parliament on May 28 2010, which it claimed had an attendance of 2,500 people. This ended up outside Downing Street.
Petition for 'Fair Votes'
Take Back Parliament began collecting signatures on 6th May 2010 on a petition with the text "This Parliament does not represent us. We demand fair votes now. There must never again be an election under this broken system." As of 5 August 2011, the petition has 57,710 signatures.Current campaign priorities
Alongside TBP's commitment to a proportional voting system, the organisation campaigns, as of August 2011, on the following issues:- Registration of lobbyists
- Party funding
- Media ownership
- Political education
- Right of Recall for MPsRecall electionA recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
- Reform of the House of Lords
- A written constitution
These issues were determined as priorities following an online consultation. The option of Votes at 16 received more votes opposing it than supporting it and so is not currently considered a priority by TBP.
Alternative Vote Referendum, 2011=
Take Back Parliament took a leading role in the campaign for the Alternative Vote (AV) voting system during the 2011 referendum.
As AV, despite being a change to Britain's first-past-the-post voting system, was not a proportional system, the group held a consultation with those who signed its petition and its social media supporters. The result was that a majority supported either campaigning for AV as a step to proportional representation, or as an end in itself. TBP therefore announced it would be campaigning for the Alternative Vote in the referendum “as a stepping stone to PR, but only after other options are exhausted”.
The 'AV Bill'
During the passage of the Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill, which, among other things, legislated for the referendum to take place, there was much controversy over the coalition government's decision to combine, in one Bill, both the referendum and the redrawing of Parliamentary constituencies. This led to accusations that the Bill was a "backroom deal", with the Alternative Vote favouring the Liberal Democrats and the boundary changes helping the Conservatives. However, the Independent newspaper also argued that there was nothing wrong with the principle of equalizing constituencies, and called on the opposition Labour party to constructively amend the Bill, rather than reject it ouright.The row over the Bill also led to the infamous House of Lords filibuster.
The controversy extended to TBP, with some, such as national co-ordinator Andy May, arguing that the Bill should be split into two separate pieces of legislation. In any event, the Bill was passed as composite legislation and was signed into law just before the deadline set by the Electoral Commission.
The group supported moves by some MPs to amend the Parliamentary Voting Systems and Constituencies Bill so that the electorate had a choice of a proportional voting system in the referendum. These amendments were unsuccessful.
Local groups
Most of TBP's existing local branches - for example, in North and South London, Birmingham and Edinburgh - became local groups of the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign, the officially designated Yes campaign in the referendum.Aftermath
Following the rejection of AV by the electorate, Take Back Parliament returned to being an independent campaign group as it had been before the referendum. It is currently working closely with Unlock Democracy and the Electoral Reform Society.See also=
- Electoral Reform SocietyElectoral Reform SocietyThe Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform. It is believed to be the oldest organisation concerned with electoral systems in the world.-Aims:...
- Suffragettes
- Chartists
- History of suffrage in the UK
External links
- Take Back Parliament website
- Take Back Parliament Twitter feed
- Electoral reform - A vote of principle. The Guardian. 2010-07-03.