The Most Powerful Campaign in Britain

Most Parliamentary seats are 'safe seats', they nearly always stay Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat. There are other seats known as 'key marginals' where the seat regularly changes hands because the two leading parties in the seat have almost the same number of supporters. This is our pressure point. It's in the 'key marginal' seats that the outcome of the next general election will be decided. Labour must hold them to keep power, and the Conservatives must win them to form the next government.

Within these key seats there are a small group of voters who swing between the political parties, the 'floating voters'. The result of the next general election will be decided by these people, about 12,000 floating voters in these key constituencies.

Their power at that time is absolute. Any party wishing to form the next government must have the support of those voters.

At the next general election this small number of voters will have the power to decide who governs Britain. We will target these voters and explain that if they can unite behind a just and reasonable demand, and make it the price of their vote, they can force the political parties to grant their demand. The main pressure the parties experience doesn't come directly from these voters, it comes from the fear that their opponents will accept our demands and get those crucial 12,000 votes. This will produce a situation where it is in the interest of both parties to accept the changes being demanded by the people.

We will be asking people in the targeted constituencies to sign this pledge.

I pledge, that I will only vote for a party that will establish the constitutional changes proposed by the Campaign for Democracy.

We demand two things. a system of direct democracy where the people of Britain can initiate legislation and have referendums on their own proposals, and a Constitutional Commission that will enable and encourage the political reform we need.

If a party wants power, they will have to give something in return. The price of power will be the transfer of sovereignty from Parliament to the British people. For the first time in our history, we the people, will decide how we are governed, define the role of government, its powers, its structure and its limitations.

There are no limits to the changes we may make but something as powerful as this must be protected from abuse and we do this very simply,

No change can take place without the consent of Parliament, or by the consent of the British people confirmed by a referendum.

The effect direct democracy has on politics in Switzerland is stunning. For the past fifty years the Swiss government has consisted of seven people drawn from the four main political parties, two each from the three larger parties, one from the smaller, a genuine coalition they call the 'Magic Circle'. Members of the government take it in turns to be president for a year, which is why you don't know who the Swiss president is, they're not that important, even to the Swiss! Their government admits that the range of views within the cabinet can lead to heated debate but they know that in the end the people have the last word, as the people also have the right to reject legislation. It is far better for politicians to concentrate on making things work.

Our method is simple and powerful, and the message to the political parties is clear. The people of Britain will decide how they are governed, as well as who governs them.