It seems logical to me that the electoral system for the two chambers should be sufficiently different to ensure that one is not a clone of the other, so why not stick with fptp for the Commons and go for stv (perhaps based on the Euro constitutencies) for the other. A half-arsed voting system reform for the Commons without fully considering the implications for the Lords would be crazy. Moreover there are plenty other questions that need to be settled as part of a package… division of powers between the two chambers, should elections to both be on the same day, are both fixed term, how both of them handle European questions, are ministers to be drawn from both chambers (or just the commons), can a minister be brought in unelected, as with today’s ministers in the Lords, can any minister appear before both chambers, would there be some sort of age/experience qualification on membership of the second chamber, how can the stranglehold of the parties be reduced in both chambers? Pretty much an endless stream of questions, the answers to which need to be balanced, and a reasonable degree of consensus achieved if change is to endure.

There’s no way this can be sensibly resolved in the current political climate in the next year. As for holding a referendum on voting reform… what’s that about?? for example: status quo vs AV? multi-option referendum? Is the status quo ok, yes or no? Pretty much any referendum question raises more questions than it answers.

Brown needs to be focusing on sorting out the economy, jobs, etc. Success in those areas will have the greatest impact on Labour support at the next general election. Last-minute constitutional tinkering will surely just piss off the voters.

The impression one gets is that neither Labour nor the Conservatives offer much hope for a modern British Constitution.

Since the main parties seem wedded to their museum, although willing to shift a few pieces around, perhaps a forum of experts on comparative constitutional thought could take up the work of a mock constituent assembly in order to present a reasoned proposal for public discussion.