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Proceeding contribution from David Heath (Liberal Democrat) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 10 June 2009. It occurred during Opposition day on Dissolution of Parliament.


Dissolution of Parliament

I am not sure that that is exactly the statistic that I would have used had I been the hon. Gentleman; nevertheless it is immediately apparent that there is a lack of leadership. That leadership is not coming from the front of the Prime Minister's party, from the back or even from behind home lines. This Prime Minister is failing in his duty to provide leadership. Personally, I therefore have no confidence in the Prime Minister or his Government. I do not believe that my constituents have any confidence in the Prime Minister or the Government. My worry is not that they have no confidence in the Labour party and its doings, but that they have no confidence in Parliament. That is enormously dangerous for our democracy. If our electors do not have confidence in the House to do the job for which it is elected, the House is doing democracy an enormous disservice. That should be a matter not for any one party but for the public to sort out. It should not be for the Prime Minister and his gang but for the people to decide whether there should be a general election. We do not have fixed-term Parliaments in this country; we have a system whereby the Government of the day choose the date of an election. So be it, but they must listen. At the moment, they are not listening to what the public say. There is only one solution to the predicament in which we find ourselves: we should let the people decide through the ballot box. They should do so forthwith.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
493 c881 
Session
2008-09
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Allowances Devolution Elections Expenditure Dissolution Members Parliament Scotland Reform Wales
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk