HELP! I agree with Miliband

I find my self in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with Ed Miliband - a man whom I despise and would never vote for if my life depended on it!

In an article in the Guardian which you can read here, the Mighty Milipede argues that a vote for AV is a change in the right direction. He says :

AV offers an opportunity for political reform, ensuring the voice of the public is heard louder than it has been in the past. And given the standing of politics that is an opportunity we should take. It is a system that combines the direct representation of first-past-the-post with one that will make the votes of more people count.

The fact is that the present system is flawed. True, AV is also flawed but it is a better system and maintains the link between the MP and the constituency which full PR would destroy.

I believe that if we combined it with compulsory voting with a positive abstention as is the way in Australia, then we would have a considerably better system of electing our MPs.

That's a fight for another day, but at least a 'Yes' vote for AV would be a good first step.

READ MORE » HELP! I agree with Miliband

AV - Blurring the issue

In my view, this poster is not worthy of the 'No to AV' campaign :

By all means let's have an argument about this issue. I have declared my 'Yes' view by the banner on this blog, but regardless of this I think that this poster should be withdrawn

The issue of whether our troops should be being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to support American foreign policy is nothing to do with funding or how we vote.

If we can afford billions in aid to countries better off than most, then we can afford both. And, let's face it, anyone who believes that scrapping AV will lead to increased funding anywhere else is seriously deluding themselves.

I think this debate needs to concentrate on the issues around the fairness of the voting system and not be clouding the issue by how much it is estimated (big word) it might cost to change it.

Emotive and meaningless comparisons like the one above do nothing to strengthen the 'No' vote case - and bear in mind I say this as an opponent their views...

READ MORE » AV - Blurring the issue