miércoles, 19 de enero de 2011

Speaker John Bercow attacks Cameron plan to cut MPs - Telegraph.co.uk

"If you did reduce the number of MPs, it follows that members would be representing larger constituencies and therefore there will inevitably be greater costs in terms of research facilities and office support," he said. "The idea that it's a straightforward case of saving money is, I think, mistaken."

Cutting the number of backbench MPs would "skew" the balance of power in favour of the Government, he said. "Would that concern me? It would, it most certainly would," he said.

Questioning Mr Cameron's election pledge, Mr Bercow said that trying to cut the cost of the political system was the wrong approach.

"There is an argument for value for money and all of that, but it seems to that we ought to decide what sort of polity and democracy we want and then decide how to finance it," he said.

"The idea that the staring point should be 'We've got to cut the cost of politics' -- I don't start from that position."

Mr Bercow has also irritated Conservative MPs by telling constituents in his Buckingham seat that he opposes any move to end the ban on fox hunting, an issue that could be the subject of future legislation.

Alan Duncan, the Conservative development minister, said that Mr Bercow was in danger of undermining his own position as the independent chairman of Commons debates.

"The most important quality in any Speaker is his impartiality," he said. "He should be a step removed from any party political opinion."

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