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Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

My Lords, I am not sure whether the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, intends to speak on this. I hope that he does because it would be very important for your Lordships’ House to hear precisely what the attitude of Her Majesty’s Opposition is. He and I have enjoyed each other’s company over many long hours throughout the passage of this Bill. I am not going to give him my views but I should like him to comment on the views of his colleagues. In the other place, Mr Christopher Bryant said: "““I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman about thresholds in referendums because, broadly, they are not a good idea””.—[Official Report, Commons, 2/11/10; col. 846.]" There is nothing there about indicative referendums or definitive referendums but all referendums or referenda. I am disappointed not to see the noble Lord, Lord Lipsey, in his place, because all of us who attended the long hours of Committee and Report very much respect the work that he has done on the Bill. He said just last week on Report, "““I do not support a threshold””," and, again, there is no definition of what the threshold might be. He went on to say: "““Thresholds are arbitrary, they introduce bias, they distort debate and they have absurd consequences””.—[Official Report, 7/2/11; col. 106.]" Amen to every single one of those. He then argued his point in detail. I very much hope that if the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, is going to respond to this debate, he will explain why he completely disagrees with his noble friend Lord Lipsey, who, as I think he will agree, has studied this Bill more than any of us.