The proposal by the coalition government that would need 55% of MPs to vote in favour of a dissolution of parliament is an affront to democracy.

A government either enjoys the confidence of the House of Commons or it does not. If it does not, there should be a General Election so the people can choose their government.

The proposals say a government can lose the confidence of the majority of the House of Commons yet can continue unhindered unless a further 32 MPs support dissolution. In all of our long parliamentary history, a simple majority has sufficed.

A measure which makes it more difficult to turn out the government of the day would shame a banana republic, let alone the mother of parliaments.

The ‘Liberal’ Democrat MPs in the coalition should hang their heads in shame. They abandoned the ‘Liberal’ element of their name about 20 years ago, now they have lost the right to use the title ‘Democrat’ as well.

Daniel Wood, The Liberal Party.