"Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the 'alternative vote' system instead of the current 'first past the post' system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?"
We will have an opportunity to vote on this on May 5th 2011.
I'm not enthused by this proposal - of the various voting systems that could bring a degree of "proportionality" into our elections I think this is just about the worse possible option.
I rather like Winston Churchill's 1931 quote on AV:
"It allows democracy to be determined by the most worthless votes given for the most worthless candidates”.
I have grave doubts about this referendum.
Now, as this subject is hardly likely to enthuse the masses I really don't think we will have a huge turn out of people to vote on May 5th 2011.
The referendum is to coincide with Local Elections, which as we know typically get a 30 - 35% turnout.
So just by applying some simple maths the final decision on our future electoral system may be determined by <20% of the UK's registered voters.
I seem to recall that in previous referendums that there was a requirement for a higher percentage of voters to agree to the proposed change before it could proceed - this doesn't seem to be the case with this proposal.
The Parliamentary Voting Systems & Constituencies Bill has, of course, got to pass through the usual stages in Parliament before it becomes law & there will certainly be attempts to amend parts of it.
What really concerns me is that the UK could effectively "sleepwalk" into a change of our voting system, decided by a small minority of voters and inflict a pretty dismal form of PR on the nation.
As it happens I don't believe for a minute that AV is a system the Lib Dems really want & I am pretty sure that hardly any Conservatives support it.
It seems to me that the AV referendum is an example of the compromises that both the Lib Dems and ourselves had to "swallow" when putting together the coalition agreement.
I guess that I should make it clear that I oppose the introduction of any form of PR into our Parliamentary elections & will be campaigning to retain the "first past the post" system.
As an aside, the part of the Parliamentary Voting Systems & Constituencies Bill that I do like is the proposal to reduce the number of MP's from 650 - 600.
I have previously said that we are over represented and I believe this would be a move in the right direction.
