The think tank Reform have unveiled the shortlist for this year's Reformer of the Year award. There are various worthies (and a couple of unworthies) on the list, but two in particular stand out: Heather Brooke and Douglas Carswell MP.
In fact, they're both so good I'm simply going to reccomend that you vote for one of them, as I can't decide between the two.
Heather, of course, is the campaigning journalist and FoI expert who put in the original Freedom of Information requests to reveal MPs' expenses. Having been rebuffed by the FoI officers, then by the Commons Commission and the by Michael Martin himself, she persevered all the way to the High Court and won a famous victory. Heather made a crucial contribution to exposing MPs' expenses and setting Britain on the track to proper public sector transparency.
Douglas is one of the House of Commons' most original thinkers, and as well as being instrumental in the booting out of Michael Martin, the most woeful Speaker in recent centuries, he has laid out many of the radical ideas necessary to reform the state as a whole. His recent book The Plan makes the case for proper transparency, direct democratic control of public services, far greater people power to hold MPs to account, an end to the quangocracy and much, much more.
You can see why it's a tough decision. I'll leave the dilemma to you, and only urge you to do two things:
1) Do vote in this. (You can vote here.)
2) Do vote for either Douglas or Heather.
If only Reform could give the prize to both of them!