[jambutty]

I don’t for one moment think that any MP would agree with it but there is a way round the problem. Of course it would mean a major rethink on the whole parliamentary system and the two major parties would be likely to lose some of their power. So it would be a non-starter.

Any bona fide resident of a constituency would be eligible to put him/herself forward as a candidate providing that s/he met the requirement for being able to vote. That being, residents of a constituency eligible to vote would be 18 years of age or older and a citizen of this country. A citizen of this country is a person who has been born in this country or if born abroad of British parents where one of the parents was a British citizen and the birth was registered at the British Consulate in the country of birth. Immigrants to this country would not be able to vote until they attained British citizenship. Inmates of a prison or those out on licence/parole would not be eligible to vote until the full sentence has expired. Inmates of mental health institutions would not be eligible to vote.

A prospective candidate standing in a general election would in addition to being eligible to vote in that constituency have to be over 21 years of age, without a criminal record and resident in the constituency for a minimum of 5 years.

Each candidate would be required to fund his/her own election campaign with $5,000 to be deposited in an Election Campaign Fund bank account. The candidate would have to prove that the £5,000 is their own money and not made up from donations unless the donation to the maximum of £2,500 comes from the political party that s/he belongs to. This £5,000 would be matched three fold (£15,000) from state funds. Any remaining funds after the election would be returned to where they came from pro rata.

The government would meet the cost of printing a booklet detailing the candidate’s profile and manifesto and the posting of the booklet to every household in the constituency. The government would also meet the cost of each candidate campaigning in local TV, radio and press twice during the election campaign. The government would also meet the cost of a candidate hiring a public hall for campaign debates with the constituents on two occasions.

All other campaign expenses, which would be basically travelling expenses, would have to be met from the Election Campaign Fund.

Of course this would not get round the Labour/Tory/Lib Dems/etc supporter’s taxes going to fund any of the other parties. The only way around that is not to have any sort of state funding and then that could invite skull duggery that goes on today.