Thank you for this, just some thoughts.

On PR, I agree that we should move to an AMS system, but doing so and reducing the number of MPs would be a mistake. It would increase the constituency size by a factor of 100% and make MPs less socially accountable to their constituents. The Government consists of 200 people albeit some are Lords, that’s a too big proportion of the Commons to be on the payroll vote. If anything, I would increase the size of the Commons, the argument that the Commons is too expensive is populist nonsense. At the end of the day, a strong government within a system of parliamentary sovereignty is a democratic problem.

Party selection criteria is public business and would remain so in an AMS system. The Parties would need to accept this public duty and behave accordingly or be made to do so. It’s pos sible that learning to work in more representative assemblies would lead to a political praxis that involved respect and co-operation, but it would take some time to move on from the trench warfare that is today’s party political discourse.

Executive Mayors are the nexus of the problems you observe. They can’t be recalled, they run their Whip’s office and in Labour’s case have a huge advantage in the so-called reselection process and frankly, control the pusillanimous scrutiny process. They appoint cabinets, control a payroll vote on the Council and juvenilise and intimidate backbench councillors. I am surprised that you don’t at least argue for term limits for Mayors. If scrutiny is the problem, then we should return to committee run councils. If you want PR to ensure that the assembly, parliament, or council reflects the range views held in the population, then you can’t impose a single person executive with the power to ignore the assembly.