Gravy train visits Watford (From Watford Observer)

Gravy train visits Watford

2:06pm Thursday 24th September 2009

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The “Westminster Gravy Train” pulled into Bushey station this week, demanding MPs are made more accountable to voters.

Passengers wearing masks decorated with the images of Gordon Brown and David Cameron waved to passing motorists as the land train pulled travelled through Bushey Arches, on its way to Watford High Street and the Junction station.

The stunt on Tuesday was organised by the Vote for a Change campaign, whose members are calling for a referendum on the voting system.

Sal Brinton, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Watford, joined the campaign on a flying visit to the town from the Liberal's party conference in Bournemouth.

She said: “The key this is we have to rebuild trust in politics. In order to do that we have to change the way we vote.

“There are too many MPs elected time and time again. As a result, some of the obscenities in expenses has happened. There's no challenge to an MP.

“Here in Watford I'm hoping to be MP and that's why I've made a public declaration my only home will be in Watford and I will put all my expenses on my website every month so everyone can see what me and my staff are spending.”

Willie Sullivan, from the Vote for a Change campaign, said: “We came to Watford because the MP is against having a referendum and we're trying to convince the government they should give people a say in how MPs get their jobs.

“MPs are the only people in the country where their employer does not select the terms of their employment but themselves, so we think we should give people a choice in how people get their job.

“A referendum is the first step to restoring trust in politics. It's lost all credibility.”

Watford MP Claire Ward, however, told the Watford Observer that she would not support proportional representation as an electoral system.

She said: “A lot of changes are now taking place on MPs' expenses and Parliament across the board, including Liberal Democrats, have to restore public confidence in MPs and these changes will help to do that.

“Voters get the final say at the ballot box but under proportional representation, they don't get the final say as smaller parties getting a handful of votes become the holders of the balance of power.

“That, I think, is undemocratic. I don't believe there's a perfect voting system but the one we have is better than the one proposed.”

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