AV, any thoughts

Seems we are getting the chance to vote on AV, anyone interested?

I thought I'd try to find out what its all about, so had a look at a site that explained how it worked.
Seems a bit over complicated to me.

I really think our voting system need a good overhaul, too many peoples votes getting binned under the system we use now.
In fact its usually a party that has less than 50% of the votes that actually ends up running the country.

Not really sure this AV thing is the way to go though.

Have they just picked on the most stupid alternative in order to get a NO vote, so as to say we asked, and nobody wanted reform.

Too many MPs in cosy constituencies that might get the heave ho if a new and BETTER system was introduced.

 

Personally, whilst I do believe that there are a great many flaws and anomalies with the UK system of government in general i.e. additional parliaments for Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland but none for England? Now, I am no Stephen Hawking, but I think I see a wee problem here. Is AV going to change that? I think not. Also the scenes at the last election where people were locked out of polling stations & denied their right to vote. Will AV ensure that voters can actually cast their vote in an election? Nope, I do not see that either. AV isn’t complicated, in Scotland we have AV for one election and first past the post for another (sometimes on the same day) just mark 1, 2, 3 etc or just 1 if you want, it is simple enough, but will it be any better or solve any of the basic problems? I think not! So, mine is a no vote.

 

Armandii

My thoughts also. The old system you vote for either the party or the candidate of your choice.

With AV if you put a number beside your second or third choice your third choice could be the winner, but if you only vote for your first choice then your vote stops there not past on to the next choice. In that way you could still use it for the old ststem of voting.

Hope all that makes sence?

My wife read the instructions that where sent round in booklet form and she decided what she was voting for, I have also made up my mind. I dont mind saying no change.


Trevor

 

As I said previously, when this subject was raised - since AV is the only system under which minority/lesser parties might get even a sniff of running the country (apart from being in a coalition) it's not surprising they are the ones who push for change - no Government on earth is going to suggest a change which might see it in opposition after all.

Let's just be grateful they're only giving us a choice between FPTP and AV, and not asking the GBP think about the other alternative systems, AVPlus: Additional Member System; Single Transferable Vote: Party Lists; Supplementary Vote: The Limited Vote: Approval Voting or Borda Count.

The point which seems not to have been addressed in all this is, if, having counted, re-counted and redistributed the perference votes there is still no party with 50% what do we get? A FPTP! Additionally, even with AV you're only required to vote for one candidate - if everyone decided to do that, you'd again be back to a FPTP result. And - if (let's say) a die-hard Labour supporter wants their candidate to win, they're hardly likely to put a 2 against BNP or UKIP or indeed against the Tory candidate's name - the only place where it might make a difference is in marginal constituencies and since there are going to be boundary changes (yet again) it's possible some/many/all of those maringals may disappear in any event. One other thing, if a voter puts 1 against UKIP, 2 against BNP and 3 against one of the more 'mainstream' candidates, do you really want a LibDem MP for instance, elected by someone who thinks UKIP and the BNP are actually better?

It's also worth remembering that a referendum is not legally binding, it is merely an indication of opinion - or perhaps it's more correct to say it is the opinion only of those members of the population who can be bothered to express one.

The one thing FPTP, AV (or any other system you care to invoke), won't change is people's voting habits - there will still be those who vote for the 'personality' rather than the party he/she represents and those who vote for a particular party, irrespective of how good or effective an MP the candidate will make.

 

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=32908

 

If I wanted my fourth choice to govern the country surely I should put them as my first choice.

I appreciate the need for reform but if that means the 'wrong' party winning then I am against it.

 

I'm just wondering what happened to proportional representation.

It seems to be the most democratic way to go, and nobody wastes their vote.

Failing that, dare I suggest the American system where they seem to knock out candidates and then have another vote on those remaining.
Not suggesting we do it in exactly the same way, (all the razz-a-matazz), but a British version, could be worked out.

 

As I intimated previously on another thread, I think this sort of thing should be brought in for the upper house first (including the right to vote out incumbents).

Then after seeing how that works, moving on to whether/how to reform the parliamentary voting system.

 

I'm voting 'yes'. And my second preference is 'no'.