A majority of the public will vote yes in the alternative vote (AV) referendum, according to an ICM poll in today's Independent; 56% favour AV, 44% oppose.
A majority of the public will vote yes in the alternative vote (AV) referendum, according to an ICM poll in today’s Independent. When asked a straight question about which voting system they prefer, similar to the one which will appear on the ballot paper, 56 per cent said they favoured AV, with 44 per cent preferring first-past-the-post (FPTP).
The result comes as Nick Clegg looks set to be sidelined from the campaign, the Indy reporting:
The new survey has reinforced the Yes camp’s determination to ensure that politicians – including Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader – play a low-key role in its drive.
“We have to ensure that the referendum is not seen through the prism of party politics,” said one senior figure in the campaign.
He denied that Mr Clegg would be sidelined because his personal ratings have plummeted since he became Deputy Prime Minister in May, saying that other politicians backing reform would also keep a low profile.
Worryingly, though, the report adds:
Focus groups conducted for the Electoral Commission found that some people thought AV meant being allowed to vote online or by post, referred to an unknown alternative or is a proportional system.
Countering insinuations that the poll may have been loaded, a spokesman for the AV ‘Yes’ campaign told Left Foot Forward:
“The question was what will be on the ballot paper. It was: ‘At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?’
“No vetoes. No leading questions. That was it.”
The referendum takes place on Thursday, May 5th.
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11 Responses to “AV: Poll lead for yes campaign as Clegg set to take back seat”
Mr. Sensible
I will be voting against.
Tim Sandle
RT @leftfootfwd: AV: Poll lead for yes campaign as Clegg set to take back seat http://bit.ly/fzPSUT
Mark
I too will be voting against; I’m as capable of reneging on my pre-election intentions as any Liberal and, to borrow a quote, ‘such bad behaviour cannot be rewarded”. *winks at John Hemmings*
What next for Parliament in 2011? » The Vibe
[…] to the future of the Lib Dems. Is Nick Clegg just ‘a blip‘ for the party or is he a dead man walking? Should the party stick together, or should it seriously consider a realignment of views? […]
Richard
What an utter farce. This is a flagship Lib Dem policy, the Holy Grail of their political ambition, one of the four sacrosanct manifesto pledges written into the coalition agreement which they are so quick to brag about, and now their party leader is taking a backseat. It plays straight into the hands of the No campaign and they will exploit it to the full. I can just see the leaflet titles. “The Lib Dems believe so deeply and sincerely in the need for electoral reform, their leader can’t even be bothered to lead the campaign for it.”