Cromwellian nightmares

What kind of Parliament are we going to get after the next election? The Telegraph’s Charles Moore reminds us Oliver Cromwell promised to clean up Parliament too but his “Assembly of Saints” turned out to be creatures of the army.

A serious political thinker I spoke to last week said he feared our 'Manure' Parliament would be followed by a Commons even more in the grip of its leaders and whips. We have to hope that David Cameron's big constitutional speech today points towards a different future.

Electoral reform

Supporters of electoral reform must feel some cheer today to hear that Alan Johnson wants to change the way we vote in order to revitalise our ailing body politic. If anyone means what he says, it's straight-talking Mr Johnson.

But he will have to deal with the entirely understandable cynicism of Lib Dems that this has been offered many times in the past to keep them on side but cynically dropped the moment an election is past.

It's precisely this kind of behaviour which has led to a withering of our civil society. Let's hope Mr Johnson is going to break the mould, something the erstwhile “Gang of Four” who founded the SDP were unable to achieve.

Speakers' Corner Trust

Ok, now for something completely different. Let's just forget the misery that is our current Parliament and think about our great democratic tradition. A few months ago I met a wonderful chap called Peter Bradley who told us all about a new organisation he has set up called the Speakers' Corner Trust. Its whole purpose is to reinvigorate our civil society by establishing new Speakers' Corners in the UK and beyond. Already there is a new Speakers' Corner in Nottingham and one being launched this very weekend in Lichfield. Peter - a former MP who cares passionately about using our freedoms and engaging in proper debate and discussion to underpin our society - has a real vision for his charity with lots more launches in the pipeline.

Magnificent as blogging and texting are, there is no substitute for face-to-face discussion and argument. I don't think we ever really advance our thinking and create new ideas without robust challenge. Those uncomfortable conversations we sometimes have which lead to the private thought "Hmm, I think I may be wrong on this one" are often followed by fresh ideas. It's what makes human beings special, so for all kinds of reasons, do take a look at the Speakers' Corner website here and support them if you can. Small acorns and all that.