DEBATE: Should parliament continue to allow remote voting until the threat of Covid-19 has passed?
Should parliament continue to allow remote voting until the threat of Covid-19 has passed?
Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow and chair of the Education Select Committee, says YES.
What has Brazil got to do with the controversy about whether or not there should be a hybrid parliament? Some of those who want to deny MPs who are self-shielding, sick or self-isolating the right to vote, either online or by proxy, seem to think like President Bolsonar: that Covid-19 is just “the sniffles” and if parliamentarians can’t be physically present at Westminster, tough luck. You can only demonstrate your work commitment by swinging through the division lobby, Tarzan-like, shouting to your constituents “look I am here”.
As it happens, I believe that most MPs should return in person to parliament, to set an example to the nation, especially as the government is asking schools to reopen this week. But those MPs genuinely at risk of Covid-19 or self-isolating in the interests of the public should be able to participate, via the internet as they have been for the past two months or via an MP proxy, in that most fundamental part of being an MP — voting.
Members should not be disenfranchised, and neither should their constituents.
Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says NO.
I am opposed to all sops that mean people are mollified about having a quasi-parliament rather than a full one.
This isn’t sentimentality or excessive “small c” conservatism — it’s because the quasi-parliament only quasi-works. It’s impossible for parliamentarians truly to hold the executive to account via Skype.
The illicit ganging up agreed upon in a corridor. The moment a minister is on the ropes and supportive interrogative questions are required for the next blow (now stymied by waiting in a virtual queue). The momentum that builds from the rhythm of questions. The time to develop argument in a speech not a soundbite. We need these things.
As I’m a Tory, you might think that I would prefer the prolongation of the unfair advantage enjoyed by the government in this long, remote season. But the executive must be examined, especially during a time like this when it is making such vital decisions about our future.
Country before party means preferring the real to the virtual.
Main image credit: UK Parliament