Electoral reform could define the election | Polly Toynbee | Comment is free | The Guardian‏

"In the Lords the Conservatives will want to block it; as you would expect, not one Tory voted for electoral reform in the Commons. But Cameron should be careful of what he will be voting against. In this bill are all the Kelly reforms to the MPs' expenses systems. Will Cameron vote them down? In this bill is the power to remove criminal peers - and the anti non-dom clause, requiring all MPs and peers to pay British tax. Will he vote against that, really? In the bill is also the final removal of hereditary peers. Does Cameron really want to face an election accused of supporting sleazy MPs expenses, hereditary peers and non-doms?

The Tories will attempt to make a deal: strike out the electoral reform referendum clause and we'll let through the rest. Gordon Brown has to insist on the whole bill or nothing. The Tories could filibuster, and Labour would lose all their bills - but how would Cameron look then? Who will blink first? The Tories detest electoral reform, but to vote this down and refuse a referendum where the people, not politicians, choose their own voting system, cannot be a price worth paying."

How will he look then? No different, coz no one will care.