[UK] Alternative vote: for or against?

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

So, Neowinians of the UK, what do you think of AV and which voting system would you like to see used?

[BigYoSpeck]

Against. It's only purpose is for a Lib Dem vote to be an effective Labour vote and it keeps us locked in to an effective two party system.

What is needed is a round based system.

[Lant]

Honestly, I don't know too much about the voting system to have a clue what to vote for in the referendum.

I know of problems with the current system (lib dem getting more votes than the previous election, but actually loosing seats),

but don't know how the other systems are different.

[Sir Topham Hatt]

What referendum is this? :s

I don't really care about voting,. surely the last one showed that we, colelctively as the UK don't think any of them should be in parliment.

Maybe more of a council should be adopted, rather than a single person/party?

[BigYoSpeck]

What referendum is this? :s

I don't really care about voting,. surely the last one showed that we, colelctively as the UK don't think any of them should be in parliment.

Maybe more of a council should be adopted, rather than a single person/party?

I got so much stick off my Lib Dem voting friends for not bothering to vote. I bet they yearn for the days when the worse you could say was a vote for Lib Dem is a wasted vote, if only.

[He's Dead Jim]

I'm for proportional representation, and I like having AV, that means two votes against the tories :)

[jakem1]

This is a difficult referendum because I'm opposed to both AV and FPTP and don't want to cast a vote that can be seen to support either system. AV is really no better than FPTP and anyone who thinks it will lead to fairer elections need only look at Australia where the parties and their hacks manipulate the system to their own ends.

I'm tempted to abstain or spoil my ballot but I sincerely hope that the campaign for full proportional representation make the most of the publicity that they will get during this campaign.

I'd also like to know why the referendum only applies to the Commons and why the Lords isn't being reformed.

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

This is a difficult referendum because I'm opposed to both AV and FPTP and don't want to cast a vote that can be seen to support either system. AV is really no better than FPTP and anyone who thinks it will lead to fairer elections need only look at Australia where the parties and their hacks manipulate the system to their own ends.

I'm tempted to abstain or spoil my ballot but I sincerely hope that the campaign for full proportional representation make the most of the publicity that they will get during this campaign.

I'd also like to know why the referendum only applies to the Commons and why the Lords isn't being reformed.

A new bill to reform the commons will be tabled by the government shortly

[Sir Topham Hatt]

I got so much stick off my Lib Dem voting friends for not bothering to vote. I bet they yearn for the days when the worse you could say was a vote for Lib Dem is a wasted vote, if only.

I did vote though, always have and always will ;)

[Laurë Veteran]

If I have my facts right, which I probably do not, AV works on the assumption that you like all candidates and are happy to have any of them. Then you put them in order of who you want most.

Every single time I have ever voted it has been a case of choosing who I dislike least. I don't want to give votes to any of them, nevermind all.

Now, if this were to make it easier for independents to get noticed and broke up the two-party rotating dictatorship we seem to have developed I might be more inclined toward it. I don't know if that's likely to happen though.

[acnpt]

I'm more against the changes to constituency boundaries.

I prefer FPTP for the reduced rate of coalitions, and the speediness of results :blush: , although at the same time I can see the advantages of AV, and wouldn't be too upset if its adopted.

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

If I have my facts right, which I probably do not, AV works on the assumption that you like all candidates and are happy to have any of them. Then you put them in order of who you want most.

Every single time I have ever voted it has been a case of choosing who I dislike least. I don't want to give votes to any of them, nevermind all.

Now, if this were to make it easier for independents to get noticed and broke up the two-party rotating dictatorship we seem to have developed I might be more inclined toward it. I don't know if that's likely to happen though.

AV just means you rank them in order of preference (or least dislike depending on your POV). If you're first choice is eliminated, then your second choice gets the vote instead of the first, and so on. You don't have to rank all the candidates and can still choose only one if you wish.

[Louis]

I'm against advertisements trying to influence our decisions.

[Flawed]

1. I support vote reform. Having any single party dictate policy with a large majority is a dictatorship/despotic government.

2. STV (a proportional system)

3. Yes I will be voting.

I'd also like to know why the referendum only applies to the Commons and why the Lords isn't being reformed.

So labour and the conservatives can keep their crony yes men in there to push through their bills.

[Flawed]

I don't really care about voting,. surely the last one showed that we, colelctively as the UK don't think any of them should be in parliment.

Maybe more of a council should be adopted, rather than a single person/party?

No person or party should be in power in an ideal world. Nor should politicians exist. Unfortunately the whole system is designed to maintain the status quo. The true democracy of the ancient greeks had the right idea. In that system, ordinary people were choosen at random to vote on proposals, not career politicians. Although the system wasn't perfect, it's far better than representative democracy.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/True_democracy

[Zoom7000]

If I have my facts right, which I probably do not, AV works on the assumption that you like all candidates and are happy to have any of them. Then you put them in order of who you want most.

Every single time I have ever voted it has been a case of choosing who I dislike least. I don't want to give votes to any of them, nevermind all.

Now, if this were to make it easier for independents to get noticed and broke up the two-party rotating dictatorship we seem to have developed I might be more inclined toward it. I don't know if that's likely to happen though.

Are you saying that basically, I have to give preference to some of the bigots on my ballot paper? The ballot paper in my constituency (a Labour stronghold) usually reads something like this:

1. Labour

2. Conservative

3. Liberal Democrats

4. Green Party

5. <Insert Some Fancy Local Community Based Party Here 1>

6. <Insert Some Fancy Local Community Based Party Here 2>

7. <Insert Some Fancy Local Community Based Party Here 3>

8. Monster Raving Looney Party

9. <Insert Some Fancy Save the Planet Based Party Here>

10. UK Independence Party

11. British National Party

12. National Front

So, in AV, do I need to give a vote to all 12, in order of preference? Because when it comes numbers 10, 11 and 12 - I'd rather NO ONE gave them a vote!

[antsy]

I'm voting yes because I don't see why a candidate should be able to hurt its own supporters by increasing the chances of the party they most disagree with winning?

Are you saying that basically, I have to give preference to some of the bigots on my ballot paper? The ballot paper in my constituency (a Labour stronghold) usually reads something like this:

1. Labour

2. Conservative

3. Liberal Democrats

4. Green Party

5. <Insert Some Fancy Local Community Based Party Here 1>

6. <Insert Some Fancy Local Community Based Party Here 2>

7. <Insert Some Fancy Local Community Based Party Here 3>

8. Monster Raving Looney Party

9. <Insert Some Fancy Save the Planet Based Party Here>

10. UK Independence Party

11. British National Party

12. National Front

So, in AV, do I need to give a vote to all 12, in order of preference? Because when it comes numbers 10, 11 and 12 - I'd rather NO ONE gave them a vote!

For a start even if ranking all was compulsory you'd still only have to rank 11 because the person you rank last could never get that vote. Every time I see AV explained on the news and they show the list filled in I cringe. But anyway with the UK system, unlike Australia, you don't have to fill the list in, you can rank as many or as few as you like.

[Digitalx]

MMP like here in NZ would be a laugh in the UK