Showing posts with label NO2AV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NO2AV. Show all posts

Friday, 6 May 2011

West Lindsey Votes 'No' to Alternative Voting

Voters from around the West Lindsey district said ‘no’ in the referendum on the voting system used for elections to the United Kingdom Parliament.

Voters were asked on Thursday, 5th May to answer the following question:
"At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the 'alternative vote' system be used instead?"
Nationally, around sixty-eight per cent of voters were against changing to AV.
The results for West Lindsey are as follows:
  • Yes:  8,233 (26%)
  • No: 22,882 (73%)
Spoilt Papers: 150
Ballot turnout: 31,255 (48.7%)

Thursday, 5 May 2011

David Cameron: Vote 'No' to AV today

Today is a big day for our country. It's AV referendum day and you need to make your voice heard. Unless enough people go out and vote, Britain could sleepwalk into a system that damages our democracy permanently. So I urge you to get down the polling station and vote 'No' to AV.

Remember, there are five big reasons why:

One - AV is complex. First Past the Post is so simple you can sum it up in seven words: the person with the most votes wins. AV is so confusing that when I was recently interviewed on the BBC, it became clear that one of their most experienced broadcasters didn't understand how it worked.

Two - AV is unfair. With First Past the Post, everyone gets one vote, and that vote is counted once. That's fair. But under AV, supporters of extremist or fringe parties can get their votes counted again and again and again. That's unfair. It's simply not right that the fifth vote of a Monster Raving Looney supporter counts as much as your first vote.

Friday, 18 March 2011

No2AV: Ken Clarke Launches Campaign in Lincoln

Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke QC MP
The Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke MP QC is expected to be in Lincoln later today launching the Lincolnshire Conservatives' No2AV campaign.

He is expected to address local activists this morning and address the issue of why getting a 'no' vote in the referendum on Thursday, 5th May 2011 is so important.

Spreading the No2AV message is very important in the run up to the crucial referendum on AV.

Conservative County Chairman, Cllr. Mrs. Rachel Hubbard, said:
"If the referendum is not in our favour there is no opportunity to go back again, the AV voting system will become law immediately and our [First-Past-The-Post] system will be lost forever at General Elections. Lincolnshire is has a huge role to play in helping stop this convoluted and unfair voting system."

Friday, 12 November 2010

A Glimps of An Alternative Future

The violent protests witnessed on Millbank this week were a stark - and deplorable - illustration of the anger that's sparked when politicians go back on their promises.

Even supporters of the Alternative Vote (AV), such as Professor Vernon Bogdanor, recognise that AV would increase the likelihood of coalition government and therefore coalition agreements - party-political bargains made behind closed doors and never put to a public vote.

The Liberal Democrats made the pledge not to raise tuition fees a centrepiece of their general election campaign, but rapidly ditched it when drawing up their power-sharing agreement with the Conservatives a few weeks later. Broken promises like this will become even more common if Britain switches to a voting system which delivers regular hung parliaments.

Everyone share in the frustration with politicians that casually renege on their promises but the Alternative Vote would not do anything to stop this: indeed, it will only make the problem worse.

Those campaigning for a 'No' vote, like this blog, believe that politics should be transparent and political parties held to account on their manifestos. We share the bemusement of Labour MP Tom Harris that Nick Clegg was so keen to push for a referendum on what he had described as a 'miserable little compromise'. That's why you should say keep your power to decide who you're governed by - vote NO to AV!

Monday, 18 October 2010

Edward Leigh Attacks AV Referendum

Local Conservative parliamentarian, Edward Leigh MP, Conservative (Gainsborough), has launched an attack on the proposed referendum on Alternative Voting and denounced the system as 'unsatisfactory, un-British, and causing frustration and anger'.

Mr. Leigh, former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said it was insulting to the electorate to force this 'confusing' system on them.  Writing in the Parliamentary House Magazine, Mr. Leigh said the particular type of Alternative Vote (AV) to be proposed in the referendum was in use only in Papua New Guinea.
"This system is rare for the good reasons that it is complex, eccentric, does not reduce the chances of hung parliaments and leaves the minority parties completely unrepresented.

"In short it is neither fairer nor more proportional than the system we already have.
"Don't let us wallow in a quagmire of half-measures: it is unsatisfactory, un-British and causes frustration and anger."
He pointed out that this 'AV compromise' was not in the election manifestos of either of the coalition parties and he objected to the plan to hold the referendum on the same day as the Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh elections, a manoeuvre which, he said, would concern voters in England.

"A referendum should be held when conditions are consistent across the nation. I understand that a coincidence of dates will save us nearly £8 million, but let's not sell our political principles for the price of a nice house in Chelsea".

Thursday, 30 September 2010

NO2AV Welcome Electoral Commission Report

In the wake of the release of the Electoral Commission’s report to Parliament on the wording of the question for next year’s referendum, NO2AV – The Fight for Fair Votes – is pleased to see that several of its proposals are used in the Electoral Commission’s final recommendations.

The top lines from the Electoral Commission report include:
  1. They agree that the question has to be re-written, as requested by NO2AV
  2. They endorse the NO2AV argument that the word "adopt" should not be used in the question; a term such as ‘replace’ should be used instead
  3. They are going to provide an explanatory leaflet to voters, as requested by NO2AV
  4. Although several groups submitted responses to the Electoral Commission around the question, the Yes Campaign did not, raising concerns of bias in the question as it is currently drafted
Matthew Elliott, Campaign Director of NO2AV – The Fight for Fair Votes, said:
"We welcome this report by the Electoral Commission which echoes the concerns we expressed to the Commission over the wording of the question. It is vital that the British public understand the important decision they have to make, and we hope that Parliament and the Cabinet Office take note of the Electoral Commission’s findings when drafting the eventual question."