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Parliamentary Representation (England)

Those would be two separate Governments. The UK Government would be made up by one party, and a separate English Government by a different party. That would be a proper federal system like Germany's, where Governments at federal level can have different political complexions from those of the Länder. The question is whether the coherent cure that the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey proposed is worth the disease. At the moment, the proposal seems to be like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut, even if it is a coherent sledgehammer. The problem is not as great for those of us who support proportional representation, because PR would be far less likely to produce conflicting political results in the first place. First past the post exaggerates political differences and produces exaggerated results in different parts of the country, whereas PR would reduce them. Although contradictory results are not impossible under PR, they are far less likely. The first priority is proportional representation. The problem we are discussing today is, it seems, a third-term problem. That is helpfully in line with the timetable that the hon. Gentleman proposed for his constitutional convention. I am therefore fully prepared to wait.