I don’t care if the Liberals win 100 seats, I’m voting for AV

By David Hodges

The AV campaign has been enough to put anyone of politics for a long time. The tired, tedious debates between the Yes & No camp have left appetite for discussion nullified. The No2AV campaign broadcast produced a satirical advert of Nick Clegg promising the earth and reneging once in power. The irony of course being he did this under First Past The Post. Then, the disastrous Yes2AV broadcast, rightly lambasted by Ian Murray MP, suggested MPs would work harder under the new system (note to Liberal Democrats, you are not anti-politics, you are serving the Tory establishment). As if my annoyance wasn’t at its peak, I suffered the indignity of the polling card arriving misspelt to much hilarity. To them, I was David Wodges.

As a militant (small ‘m’) Labour supporter watching this Tory government cut unnecessarily far and fast our main preoccupation should be on winning back the keys to Downing Street. However, when the question of improving our democratic system arises, we should not shirk our values, run for cover or play the party politics card. Democracy should not be a price we pay because we’re unable to convince the electorate we are fit to govern.

Representational democracy gives people the empowerment of choice over which group of people they want to govern. I support that notion and believe the Alternative Vote (AV) system will give the electorate greater power and choice.

Tactical voting is a flaw in our current electoral system. It takes away many people’s power to vote with their instincts and beliefs, instead forcing them to select a candidate that is often the lesser of two evils. Denying them this opportunity undemocratically refuses the electorate the chance to reveal their true voting intentions.

AV ensures that the elected politician has the consensus majority, as they need to earn at least 50% +1 to win, surely a desirable aspect for both the community and the politician. AV will also discourage politicians from creating false dividing lines as they seek greater consensus, focusing debate on where real disagreements exist and allowing parties to work together where they agree.

Furthermore, for our comrades in the No camp who (wrongly) argue the complexity of AV will cause innumerable problems for the electorate, there is this saving grace. If you only have one preference, you still only vote for one candidate.

As a caveat, a Yes vote should not lead to and does not mean support for proportional representation, which creates a permanent elected coalition that denies the voter choice over who governs.

If 90% of people in this country wanted UKIP to be in power it would make me feel queasy at the least. Does that mean I favour disenfranchising those people to prevent them governing? No. The challenge for Labour is to offer a progressive, alternative vision over the coming years to prevent this disastrous Tory government from winning a second term. This should not include turning our backs to a fairer, more democratic system. This vote is about improving our democratic system. It should be bi-partisan and reflect the facts. In my opinion the facts support Yes to AV.