This pact’s a damp squib... what we need is electoral reform

Chief reporter Martin Shipton on the implication of the election pacts

WHEN there was originally talk about an electoral pact for the General Election involving the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, it was assumed by many observers that it would cover 39 of the 40 constituencies in Wales – the exception being Ceredigion, which is a very tight Plaid– Lib Dem marginal.

From what we can glean, though, the pact is covering just 11 seats in Wales, leading to the understandable conclusion that it’s turned out to be a bit of a damp squib.

Plaid Cymru certainly has grounds to be pleased that it will not be opposed by the Lib Dems and the Greens in its most marginal seat of Arfon, which Hywel Williams retained in 2017 with a majority of just 92.

But at that election the Green Party didn’t field a candidate and the Lib Dems only got 648 votes, demonstrating that the value of the pact is not massive, especially as only an unknown proportion of the 648 would be prepared to vote for Plaid.

At the August by-election in Brecon & Radnorshire, the decision of Plaid and the Greens not to stand was undoubtedly of help to the Lib Dems in winning the seat, and they will be grateful to the two other parties for opting out again.

But of far greater significance to who wins the seat on December 12 will be the degree to which the Brexit Party takes votes from the Conservatives in what was a Leave-backing constituency at the 2016 referendum.

The Lib Dems will also be pleased that Plaid and the Greens are not standing in the two other seats they have recently held: Cardiff Central and Montgomeryshire.

But it’s the situation in Cardiff Central that raises a point that those involved in the pact should find troubling.

Cardiff Central has been represented since 2015 by Labour’s Jo

Stevens, one of the most fervent opponents of Brexit in Parliament. Indeed, she left the Shadow Cabinet because she couldn’t go along with Jeremy Corbyn’s fence-sitting on the issue.

If the purpose of the pact is to elect pro-Remain MPs, what is the point of opposing Ms Stevens?

The point is even clearer in the neighbouring seat of Cardiff North, where another strong Labour opponent of Brexit, Anna McMorrin, is seeking re-election.

Plaid, the Lib Dems and the Greens argue that Labour has rebuffed all attempts to get the party to join the pact – and there is some merit in that argument.

Labour may continue to ride two horses on Brexit, but it also makes the point that it couldn’t enter an electoral pact with a party that wants to split up the UK (Plaid) or one which helped the Tories implement austerity policies by joining a coalition with them (the Lib Dems).

Ultimately, though, it’s a question of how serious you are – and how far you’re prepared to go in terms of compromising your usual political position – to stop Brexit.

What is frustrating about this debate over the desirability of electoral pacts is that it’s one that shouldn’t be necessary.

It’s only part of this election because of our increasingly discredited “first past the post” electoral system.

We desperately need electoral reform, so that individual voters can rank the candidates in order of their preference.

Introducing proportional representation would not only be fairer – it would stabilise our politics.