Big Society's Big Mouth : Discussions on alternative voting

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It’s time to say Yes to fairer votes

The decisions made by politicians affect all of our lives, from where the cuts to our public services fall to the stability of the job market. Currently under First-Past-the-Post, MPs can get elected with less than 30% of our votes and at present two out three MPs in the UK don't have the majority of voters on their side. Quite simply this means most of us have... Read more

It’s time to say Yes to fairer votes

The decisions made by politicians affect all of our lives, from where the cuts to our public services fall to the stability of the job market. Currently under First-Past-the-Post, MPs can get elected with less than 30% of our votes and at present two out three MPs in the UK don't have the majority of voters on their side. Quite simply this means most of us have an MP that we and most of our neighbours voted against. This is completely undemocratic.

One of the many problems with First-Past-the-Post, is that votes for any marginal party are affectively wasted, as if your preferred candidate comes last you then have no say over who actually gets in. This means millions of us feel forced into tactical voting come election time, voting to keep someone out rather than to get the person we really want in.

The Alternative Vote (AV) means all candidates have to aim to get 50% of the vote. You can rank your preferences in order and if your first choice can't win you can still have a say. This simple change to the system will give voters a lot more control and will force politicians to work harder to earn and keep our support. They will have to speak to all of us and make sure that their policies reach out to every corner of their constituency, rather than being able to relax in a safe seat and rely on their core vote to stay in power. After all, why should our MPs have a job for life when the rest of us don’t?

First past the post has allowed our MPs to become out-of-touch with voters, as the expenses scandal showed. It has resulted in a culture of negative campaigning where MPs criticise each other rather than actually saying what they plan to do. It has forced us into tactical voting and has seen millions of us ignored come election time because we do not live in a marginal seat so our vote simply does not count.

On May 6 we get a once in a lifetime opportunity to change all of this. By voting Yes! to the Alternative Vote (AV) in the referendum in may we finally have a real opportunity to change things for the better.

Voting for AV means:
• Voters have a stronger voice
• MPs will have to work harder to get and stay elected
• Less chance of MPs having jobs for life
• And end to negative campaigning and tactical voting.

It’s time to say Yes! to fairer votes. Join us at www.yestofairervotes.org follow us @YesInMay or friend us at YES to Fairer Votes.
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Yes to fairer votes - Yes to AV - Alternative Vote

Vote Yes to AV on 5 May. Join the campaign to make MPs
work harder, give voters more of a say and to tackle the 'jobs for life'
culture in Parliament.

about 2 years ago

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Emma Croft on av alternative voting yes2av

I am tremendously disappointed at the result regarding the Alternative Vote. The No campaign engaged in shameful misinformation tactics - including the use of emotional blackmail (This baby needs intensive care units, NOT AV). Furthermore both sides played fast and loose with the facts, without focusing purely on the issue at hand. I also feel there was a large underestimation of the intelligence... Read more

about 2 years ago

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Charlotte Beckett

Thanks Emma - great points. What does everyone think? Our poll pre the day was the reverse of what the results were predicted to be. Do you think the outcome was a fair reflection of young people's opinions? Did you vote?

about 2 years ago
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Sam Mason

I think the result was a fair reflection of young people's opinions. generally though, the campaign for both YES and NO to AV didn't go down too well. people either confused about what they were voting for or not satisfied with either option.

about 2 years ago
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Mohammed Ahmed

I think it was more of a referendum on Nick Clegg and his party than the voting systen.

about 2 years ago
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No 2 AV on guest blog voting no2av alternative voting

Say no to AV!
By Dominic Moffitt from Camden who is a 20 year old volunteer with No to AV campaign

We know how we feel when we come across someone who is fake. We prefer people to be straight forward and not treat us as fools. That’s why we should always be sceptical about what’s on offer from some politicians.
The worst example of this lately was at the general election last year. The Liberal... Read more

Say no to AV!
By Dominic Moffitt from Camden who is a 20 year old volunteer with No to AV campaign

We know how we feel when we come across someone who is fake. We prefer people to be straight forward and not treat us as fools. That’s why we should always be sceptical about what’s on offer from some politicians.
The worst example of this lately was at the general election last year. The Liberal Democrats campaigned against increases in student tuition fees in England and any increase in the tax we pay in the shops, VAT. As soon as they went into Government they abandoned their pledges. Student fees went up threefold and VAT was increased to 20%.

The Lib Dems said they had no choice because they were now in a Coalition government with the Conservatives. This is the type of politics we can expect more of if Britain switches to the Alternative Vote (AV). AV is a system designed to produce more hung Parliaments, more Coalition governments and more broken promises.

Although we have a Coalition government at the moment it is an oddity. Our current system for elections, First Past the Post, usually delivers decisive results. It is a very powerful tool in our democracy, because more often than not we, the people, have the power to kick a Government out and install a new one. We should not underestimate the importance of this. If we were to say Yes to the Alternative Vote in the referendum on 5th May we would be surrendering that power.

In an era of Coalitions the politicians would do their own deals after elections. They would have an excuse to abandon any pledge they had made to the voters just days before.

There are other problems with AV. It isn’t proportional representation and can actually deliver results far less proportional than now. It gives more power to people who vote for the BNP and other extremist and small parties; their supporters would get several bites of the cherry, transferring their votes as they wish, while people who back mainstream candidates would have just one say. And the whole system is based on a false belief voters wish to continually transfer preferences between a multitude of candidates.

FPTP is a simple fair a democratic system based on the principle of one person-one vote. AV takes that hard fought principle and twists it to become some people gaining extra votes at the expense of others.

Anyone aged 18 and over can vote in the referendum. If you want to preserve British democracy make sure you keep hold of the power you have; refuse to surrender it to politicians by voting No.
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about 2 years ago

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Kathy Marshall

Why shouldn't small parties have more power? They don't exactly currently have much. And small party doesn't equal BNP.

about 2 years ago
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Rachel Anderton

PR also means no vote is wasted, there is a low turnout rate to elections nowadays because people feel that if they want to vote for someone like the Green Party, their vote is wasted as they won't ever have a majority in power and so many won't turn up. PR means everyone's vote counts and will be more likely to increase voter turnouts.

about 2 years ago
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Rachel Anderton on alternative voting

In Scotland PR has been quite a success and parties have learned to work together properly.

Is it time that PR was introduced Parliament? I'm fed up of the Con-Dem bashing (they're not great but they've not done too bad either... so far) and is it time to introduce PR so that it's a fair vote in parliament and fair representation? Labour, Lib Dems and Conservatives would all be working together... Read more

about 2 years ago

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Everyone on alternative voting

Charlotte Beckett

Sam Mason

Mohammed Ahmed

Kathy Marshall

Rachel Anderton

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That's a real shame!

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