Alternative Voting - 01 May 2011

One of the core requirements for the Lib Dems to agree to a coalition agreement last year was the inclusion of AV voting on the agenda during this current parliament. The central argumernt for AV is to move to a system that gives one man one vote. This is not quite all it seems as this already happens in the current first past the post system.

In AV, if your first choice candidate is knocked out in the first round of voting, your second choice of vote is then counted; and then your third; and then your fourth etc. At one level this seems better value. But those against AV will say you end up casting a fourth or fifth choice for obscure parties or ones for whom you would never seriously vote. No wonder then that AV is currently only used in Australia, Papua & New Guinea; and one other small island. The cuirrent "first past the post system"has been evolved over centuries and on the whole has worked extremely well, including many say, in the last election. 

Heres the real worry about AV even being on the agenda for this parliament.

If the vote for AV is poor and nobody seriously beleives there will be change, why take up so much parlaimentary time on something of little value when there are so many more important issues in the economy. In this respect, the AV topic reminds me of the anti fox hunting lobby a few years ago where a very vociferous few took up a wholly disproportionate amount of parliamentary time. Are the Lib Dems going to be tarnished when the AV discussion is finished? A general question of parliament is who really wants a change in the voting system....I guess we will get that answer after Thursday.