Rigging The System

Jason Beattie writes:

The Tories are set to push through new laws that will make it harder for the House of Lords to block Government legislation. As a result, peers may not be able to stop unpopular measures such as the tax credit cuts.

But this is not the only example of how the Conservatives are trying to silence dissent, neuter the opposition and gag critics.

The voter registration scandal will leave millions off the electoral roll, while the boundary changes will cement the Tories’ position in Westminster. Money for the opposition parties is being cut and the power of trade unions is being curtailed.

Here are seven ways the Tories are rigging the system in their favour:

1. Keeping Labour voters off the electoral roll 

The new electoral register closed last week – and there are millions of people missing from it.

Instead of allowing councils another 12 months to complete the register, the Tories rushed it through even though it will be incomplete.

This is because those missing from the roll are more likely to be Labour voters – people in private rented accommodation, students, black and Asian people, disabled people, poorer people.

Everyone now has to individually register themselves to vote, using a National Insurance number.

Previously, the head of a household, university administrators or care home managers could register everyone under one roof. It has been estimated 1.9million people will now drop off the register  on top of the 8million already missing from the electoral roll.

Crucially, the new register will be used to draw up new MP constituency boundaries in the new year (See below).

If millions of voters are missing – as looks very possible – these boundaries won’t reflect who really lives where in our country.

2. Making sure there are fewer Labour MPs

The Conservative manifesto pledges to cut the size and cost of Parliament by reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600.

David Cameron attempted to this in the last Parliament but was thwarted by Nick Clegg. Now the Tories have a majority in the Commons and will be able to push the boundary changes through.

But the seats which will disappear will be predominantly those held by Labour, Lib Dems and SNP ones.

We have calculated that Labour would lose as many as 28 seats under the changes, the Tories 8, the SNP 6 and the Lib Dems 4. It would also create more marginal Labour seats.

Note, that while Cameron wants to cut the number of MPs, he is packing the Lords with supporters to cut down the Labour/Lib Dem majority.

3. Cutting funds of opposition parties

Buried in last month’s Spending Review, George Osborne slashed the funding opposition parties receive to fund their parliamentary offices.

The Labour party stands to lose £1.2million a year when so-called “Short money” is cut by 19%, the SNP will lose £228,000, UKIP £123,500 and the Lib Dems £102,600.

It comes as Labour’s funding is also under attack from the Tories’ Trades Union Bill (see below).

Short money is given to all opposition parties to fund staff and resources for their Parliamentary offices. Because the Government have taxpayer funded advisors and access to the civil service, Short money is intended to level the playing field.

4. Curtailing the power of the trade unions

The Trade Unions Bill is aimed at preventing legitimate industrial action and of starving the Labour Party of funds. 

More than half of a union’s members will have to vote in any ballot which leads to a strike for the strike to be legal. 

On top of that 40% of members will have to vote in favour of the strike – regardless of turnout – in key health, education, fire, transport, border security and energy sectors – including the Border Force and nuclear decommissioning.

Unions would have to give 14-days notice of action and employers would be able to use agency workers as cover. 

The legislation will also require union members to opt in to pay subs to the Labour Party - a move which threatens to cut the amount the unions donate.

5. Stamping out opposition in the House of Lords

Following the tax credits defeat by the House of Lords David Cameron ordered Tory peer Lord Strathclyde to conduct a review in the powers of the Upper House.

Lord Strathclyde will reportedly propose that peers will only be able to overturn the Commons once. And if they fail to agree to this proposal the Government will withdraw its power to overturn any legislation.

This is a clear attempt to neuter the House of Lords which has defeated the Government 23 times since May’s general election Ministers are also insisting that laws are introduced by Statutory Instruments.

These are pieces of legislation that do not require a new Act of Parliament and therefore get less scrutiny and less time for debate.

6. Gagging charities and campaigners

Introduced in the last Parliament, the Lobbying Act was supposed to clean up the industry in the wake of various cash-for-access scandals.

But the Tories used it to silence dissent from charities, unions and third sector organisations who are banned from speaking out against the government in the run up to an election.

Opponents say it has had a “chilling effect” on free speech.

They also claim that fewer than one in 20 firms is covered by the act because it does not cover in-house lobbying by big companies. 7. Stopping journalists from getting information

David Cameron ordered a review of the Freedom of Information Act following the long-battle to release Prince Charles’s “black spider” memos.

The Government wants to strengthen the right of ministers to veto requests for information.

Commons leader Chris Grayling complained recently that the law, introduced by Tony Blair, was being used by journalists to “generate stories.”

There are fears that by watering down the Act it will harder to hold the Government to account.

In recent years it has been used to expose MPs’ expenses, expose Jeremy Hunt’s myths about the NHS and how Tory MPs and donors are raking in millions of pounds from housing benefit.