Redrawing our Parliamentary boundaries
Some weeks ago, I did a posting about the consequences of the Coalition Government’s wish to reduce the number of constituencies represented in the House of Commons from 650 to 600 and to make these constituencies more equal in terms of the number of electors.
As I reported then, in some parts of the country this is involving proposals to cut across what many citizens regard as boundaries that should be respected. So, for instance, one proposal is to carve out a new constituency from the west part of the Isle of Wight and the mainland opposite it. Opponents on the island have their own web site.
Now I’ve come across another redrawing exercise that is infuriating local electors. The suggestion this time is that parts of Cornwall and Devon be grouped together. Opponents point out that the River Tamur has been the dividing line between the two counties for more than 1,000 years since a treaty between King Athelstan of Wessex and King Hywel of Cornwall. The vigorous campaign has its own web site.
The Government is caught here on the horns of a dilemma of its own creation. On the one hand, it wants fewer and more equal constituencies to encourage savings and fairness. On the other hand, it is encouraging localism and the Big Society which means involving local people and listening to them