The news for today will start off with some positive idea making by Labour MP Frank Field, not really through any effort of his own but by seeing the effect of the US Primaries on America and the rest of the world and wanting to emulate it. Is this the sort of thing we need in this country, will it solve any of our electoral issues, and would it ever have the same kind of esteem that the US version commands?

It's complex, in terms of who represents us in our constituencies there is certainly a case for a primary style system to pick our MPs given the tendency of parties to relocate their strongest in to the safest seats. What we do have to be very careful of though is what effect such a system would have, there is absolutely zero reason to implement this kind of change without first undergoing the necessary electoral reform to move towards a proportional representation system.

Mr Field says that only a third of constituencies are won by a party with over 50% of the vote, and he's completely right...but this wouldn't be the case with a proper AV+ or STV system as transferred votes would mean by necessity the winner would have to win 50% of the available vote. This is the real reform that needs to happen and a primary system is little other than a plaster on a festering wound.

He also goes on to say how UK primaries should be held. I feel it is perhaps here where he is potentially diverging most from reality. The reality here is that safer seats would actually be made more safe where tactical voting can sabotage the opposing party representation, while party representation in more marginal seats would become poorer all round. All that a free vote by the British public would encourage is for people to vote for the worst candidate in the party they see as being the biggest threat to theirs, and this is ultimately negative politics.

If the system was set up more like the American system where people are registered as having party interests or as being independent, with a single transferable vote between any of the available candidates in any party, then it may at least be fair if not pointless without real electoral reform taking place first. Politicians need to engage with the public more, but again this can be solved through PR election systems that would mean no seat is inherently too safe to mean an MP can rest on their laurels.

The most dangerous thing about this not terrible yet currently pointless suggestion is it could actually be accepted by a government eager for public engagement and looking like they're giving the public more of a say, and in the process derail the progress being made for real electoral reform.