Comments on: Momentum with change as AV referendum gets the green light

By: Look Left – 'AV it! Referendum campaign gets into full swing | Left Foot Forward

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:31:26 +0000

[…] the campaign proper kicked off this week as the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill finally received Royal Assent, paving the way for a referendum on the alternative vote in 11 weeks’ […]

By: John Smith

John Smith — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:32:03 +0000

Good to see LFF isn’t taking sides.
There is a huge amount not being discussed in this debate. Voting System reform is notoriously double edged; Prof. Curtice was amiss not to say that when one system is replaced by another it often replaces one set of problems with another. Where FPTP over-exaggerates the support of the more popular parties, AV does the opposite- why should the vote of those who support smaller parties gain preference over the vote of those who vote for the more popular ones? Surely everyone’s vote should be equal?
No voting system is ever really fair – they are always a messy compromise, an aggregation of the often complex opinions of many millions of people – the real debate is what compromises are the public and the nation willing to put up with? We should have all learnt by now the dangers of over promising.
It is also questionable why a political system should introduce an ‘Assisted Places Scheme’ for parties too incompetent to generate support on their own merits. Funding caps – possible even state funding – to level the playing field would give smaller parties an equal shot at campaigning and so giving them the chance to win support on their own merits. This goes to the heart of complaints about ‘safe seats’ – they exist because more people in that area support one party over the rest; it really is quite simple. The Greens did a very commendable job in Brighton and won a seat – why can’t this be done elsewhere under the current system, if the playing field in every constituency and in the national media is levelled?
As I have mentioned before, the referendum is risking creating a damaging disappointment effect; if the new system is introduced, and the public suddenly realise that most of their complaints haven’t been addressed, there will be a backlash. Politicians will still be politicians – the underlying reasons for what some may consider the poor behaviour of politicians will continue to go on. The truth is that complaining about who rules us has been with us for as long as humanity has existed, and in the modern world these complaints exist in democracies regardless for their voting system. Try finding someone with a good word to say about politicians in Belgium at the moment.
The claims that AV will make politicians ‘work harder’ is nonsense – in areas of the country with a more proportional system – such as Scotland – the ways of campaigning and the effort put in is pretty much identical to campaigns run under FPTP. As someone who has campaigned in a great many national and local elections – I haven’t seen a campaign where everyone hasn’t worked to the very limits anyway. This is a bizarre reason that doesn’t hold water.
The Deputy PM has also said that politicians will try to broaden their appeal under this system; surely this is against the wishes of the public. I have lost count of the number of times I have been told ‘You’re all the same’, ‘You lot don’t stand for anything anymore’ etc – if a new voting system encourages this it is asking for trouble.
I find both No and Yes campaigns disappointing at the moment. The arguments deployed have so far been intellectually shallow, poorly reasoned and overtly hyperbolic. I am very pessimistic about the outcome, regardless of the result, of holding this referendum.

By: Mr. Sensible

Mr. Sensible — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:01:59 +0000

This whole situation could have been made easier if the government had split the 2 elements of the bill up…

I know which way I’m voting…

By: Debsalini

Debsalini — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:57:03 +0000

That’s one way of getting us behind the pay wall! Thanks.

By: Laura Gordon

Laura Gordon — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:45:37 +0000

RT @YesInMay: RT @leftfootfwd: Momentum with change as AV referendum gets the green light http://bit.ly/dI1Ui3 #Yes2AV

By: Anon E Mouse

Anon E Mouse — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:50:37 +0000

This is an excellent concise summary of the AV situation….

By: Chris Bramall

Chris Bramall — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:42:07 +0000

RT @YesInMay: RT @leftfootfwd: Momentum with change as AV referendum gets the green light http://bit.ly/dI1Ui3 #Yes2AV

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:26:57 +0000

RT @YesInMay: RT @leftfootfwd: Momentum with change as AV referendum gets the green light http://bit.ly/dI1Ui3 #Yes2AV

By: Adam Corlett

Adam Corlett — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:59:23 +0000

RT @leftfootfwd: Momentum with change as AV referendum gets the green light: http://bit.ly/gChrlH reports @ShamikDas #Yes2AV @YesInMay

By: Joe Jordan

Joe Jordan — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:40:02 +0000

RT @YesInMay: RT @leftfootfwd: Momentum with change as AV referendum gets the green light http://bit.ly/dI1Ui3 #Yes2AV