We are now seeing the inevitable result of a change to fixed-term parliaments. Eighteen months to go before the next General Election and it is clear that everything any politician says is being interpreted as electioneering.
Why do we have all our constituencies vote at the same time?
Suppose, and this is just a suppose OK I haven't thought it through but would love people to see what could be done with this idea if anything, we moved the election date around a bit?
So if there were by-elections in the next parliament the winning candidates would serve for five years from that date. Gradually all our constituencies would have their due dates shuffled. So, whilst eventually the whole country would almost always be about to experience an election somewhere, none of them would be catastrophic in consequence. That is to say the balance of power would shift slowly and gradually.
Obviously there would still be a General Election after five years for all those seats where no by-election had been necessary. But over the next fifty years things would get more and more staggered.
Maybe a few quality independent MPs would stand more chance under this system?
Any problems you can foresee?
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