Sid Cumberland has just written an article about the Alternative Vote system on the Rayleigh Lib Dems website .
Here’s some extracts:
…..”Cameron also claimed that AV is so complex that it is ?only understood by a handful of elites?. This suggests that he thinks we are all stupid. Using AV, instead of marking a cross by the name of the candidate you want to win, you put a number 1 by your top candidate, followed by a 2 for your next favourite, followed by a 3 ? can you see where I?m going with this? Do you think you could manage that? Well, the Australians can ? and the Irish have for many years managed the more complex STV with no trouble. ”
“In 1951, very nearly 97% of electors voted for either the Conservatives or the Labour party. With two parties polling nearly 50% each, it seems reasonable enough that one or other of those parties should form the government. By 2010, however, the percentage of voters opting for one of the two main parties had fallen to just over 65%, and the argument for simply passing power from one to the other becomes less persuasive. Supporters of FPTP claim that it produces stable government ? but at what cost?”
“? MPs will have to work harder to get your vote ? and will have to appeal to a wider range of voters; they won?t be able to just rely on their core supporters
? MPs will be less likely to have a ?job for life? ? which led to the expenses scandal of the last parliament
? We will be able to vote for the MP we actually want, instead of voting for the MP we dislike least
? We will not be represented by MPs most of us didn?t vote for.”
Sid’s full article is here.
Does the Barnsley result, and apparent unpopularity of the LibDems, suggest that the timing of the referendum may not be helpful to those wanting change?
Well, on the basis of the opinion polls that I’ve seeen , I think the “Yes” campaign will win.
Barnsley was a bad result, but was a bad result for the Tories as well (who got something like 8 percent).
In council by-elections this year we are doing pretty well where we have done well before (held two seats, gained one seat, lost no seats).