BBC News - Nick Clegg pledges biggest political reforms since 1832
"The biggest shake up of our democracy since 1832, when the Great Reform Act redrew the boundaries of British democracy, for the first time extending the franchise beyond the landed classes." said Clegg
Well, lets hope so because we certainly need change on this scale. However, Nick Clegg does have a very strong tendency to overstate and exaggerate at times, so we shall have to see what happens in practice.
Hi Glenn
ReplyDeleteAre you aware that the 1832 Reform Act extended the vote to only 1 in 6 adult males. This left 5 out of 6 males and 6 out of 6 females without the vote.
I'm not sure Clegg is planning the type and extent of change you are expecting. The 1832 Act was about placating a few middle class professionals who did not have the vote to take the steam out of the protest movement. It did nothing for the working people of this country.
harryT
Yes Harry I am fully aware of what you say. My interpretation of what Clegg said is that he is planning a bigger shake up of the system than anything from 1832 onwards eg including things like votes for women... I doubt very much that that he is comparing his plans just with the 'Great' Reform Act because the scale of change that produced was, as you say, very small indeed - electing the House of Lord/second chamber by PR would alone be a very much bigger change.
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