A good day for Mr Carswell from Harwich

DOUGLAS Carswell makes no secret of his belief that the power of the state should be rowed back and citizen's given direct democracy through having the right and the power to launch legislation. He's also unafraid of tackling head-on the might and cosy lifesytes of those who symbolise pomp and circumstance.

 

As the difficulties of Mr Speaker Martin multiply over allegations of some of his expenses, who was it who called for him to stand down? That's right, it was the honourable member for Harwich in Essex.

 

Mr Carswell is the darling of the Tory right. He's a powerful advocate of the "Better Out" campaign which thinks the so-called unthinkable - that the UK should pull out of the European Union.

 

At Prime Minister's Question today, Mr Carswell challenged Gordon Brown over claims by former Labour fundraiser Lord Levy that Mr Brown knew about the loans to the party. The peer, who was arrested but later cleared over the cash-for-honours allegations, suggests in a new memoir that Mr Brown knew Labour had accepted the loans - and actually courted them himself.

 

Mr Carswell challenged: "You claim you had no knowledge of the dodgy loans used to fund the 2005 election campaign which you ran.

 

"Lord Levy has revealed you knew everything. Is he lying?" Mr Brown told him: "I knew nothing of these loans.''

 

We await with interest the Prime Minister's writs for libel against Lord Levy and the company publishing his book.

 

But back to Direct Democracy and the legislation he is hoping to pilot through the Commons. Mr Carswell outlined later in the Commons the basis for his ground-breaking proposals of allowing "People's Bills" which would give members of the public the chance to get their own laws on the stature books. He's proposing that the six most popular Bills each year would be included in the Queen's Speech and voted on by MPs.

 

He says it's a way to overcome voter apathy, boosting voter turnout in elections and engage the public in politics. "There is a growing problem with the old Westminster politics, there is a gaping gulf between the political classes in SW1 and those in the country beyond."

 

Under his Citizens' Initiative (Legislation) Bill, members of the public would be able to submit a written proposal to the clerk in the Table Office. Once accepted, the citizen behind the proposal would then gather signatures to support his measure."This Bill would ensure Westminster was made more directly accountable to those we are in place to serve,"' he told the Commons.

 

Mr Carswell's Bill was given a first reading but stands little chance of becoming law without Government backing. It won't get that but the man from Harwich has put down a marker to stimulate debate on power to the people.