Posts Tagged ‘AV’

Thinking electoral reform has a future in our lifetime is plain potty

by Jon Lansman.

First Past the Post (FPTP) is here to stay in House of Commons elections for quite some time. Electoral reformers need to get used to that. AV may have been the electoral reform that nobody really wanted but Proportional Representation (PR) would have fared little better. The case for PR is more substantial and has many […]

AV = DI (Disproportionate Influence)

by Peter Willsman.

What have the Labour Yes campaign got to say to Labour voters in Oldham East and Saddleworth? Just look at the figures in the recent by-election. Labour beat the Lib Dems by about 3,500 votes. Meanwhile, the Tories and other right-wing anti-Labour parties attracted over 8,000 votes. Had these 8,000 had the option, which the Alternative […]

It’s PR in the Lords, not AV, that could save the skins of Lib Dem MPs

by Jon Lansman.

Political Scrapbook today reports that Lib Dem losers — Elwyn Watkins, two-time loser in Oldham East, and soon-to-lose leader of Sheffield Council, Paul Scriven — are to be given “ermine parachutes” in the House of Lords. Many more ermine parachutes could of course be available to Lib Dem MPs who lose their seats when the […]

AV: changing tactics & the shadow of UKIP

by Jon Lansman.

The Yes campaign is changing tactics. Facing the possibility of defeat, it’s trying to persuade us to be more anti-Tory than anti-Clegg.  You can’t blame them because the No campaign decided early on that putting Clegg centre stage was the way to win. Since then, it’s been a nasty and divisive campaign, on both sides. […]

Why AV would keep the Con-Dems in government for at least 3 years

by Jon Lansman.

If Britain votes Yes to the Alternative Vote (AV), the next election will be fought under AV. Unless the new gerrymandered constituency boundaries have not yet been agreed. The boundary review will take at least until 2013, and must then be approved by parliament. If the next election were to happen before the new boundaries […]

How AV can lead to the election of the least favoured candidate

by Jon Lansman.

According to Yes to Fairer Votes, Alternative Vote (AV) is “as simple as 1,2,3…. The principle behind AV is just as simple. An election winner should need the support of a majority of the people.” That sounds fair. So how is it that, under AV, you could end up with the least popular candidate? Not […]

Labour No to AV is born…

by Darrell Goodliffe.

It looks like those within the Labour Party who want a No to AV vote on May 5th finally have an organisation to take-on Labour Yes. Quietly, Labour No to AV is being born. It has its own website which you can see here and, in addition, literature has been produced by three trade unions opposed […]

People may or may not prefer AV. What they care about is something else.

by Jon Lansman.

It’s a myth that “nobody wants AV“, says Fabian General Secretary, Sunder Katwala, today. “It’s as popular a first choice as FPTP,” he says, quoting polling evidence which supports his contention. He’s right, of course, but the truth about electoral reform is rather different. Quite a few people want AV, or at least want it more […]

AV, the anti-politicians choice? The opposite is true

by Jon Lansman.

According to Sunder Katwala of the Fabian Society, the Yes to AV campaign is stressing a ‘people against the politicians’ theme. AV is supposed to attract people who are anti-politician. Charles Kennedy said of AV on Daily Politics “it’s a politician’s issue and we’ve got to turn it into a public issue.” Too right. It […]

Lords defeat for AV

by Andy Newman.

Last night House of Lords vote requiring a 40% turn out in the AV referendum creates a serious problem for the government. In order for there to be a referendum in May, then the enabling legislation needs to be passed by the end of next week, so while the Lords’s amendement could be reversed in the Commons and sent back, […]

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