More on AV

Not against reform

I am not against reform per se but AV does not seem to me to be a particularly well-thought out system.  The candidate must have 50% of the vote to win which is all well and good but of what turn-out?  The problem with our current system is not the percentage of the vote which is very stable for all parties but the size of the turn-out which has been steadily falling. 

Increasing the turn-out

It would be a cheaper and more effective reform to first try making the vote compulsory as they do in Australia.  An 80% turn-out would give an irrefutable decision on the part of each constituency.  It would cost practically nothing to inform people that in future general elections the vote is mandatory and they will be fined if they do not vote.  A low turn-out would then have the merit of making a lot of money for the Treasury!

Argument going on for 40 years

The argument about PR v FPTP has been going on for the past forty years ever since I was a politics student.  I see no great rush to change the system now particularly as we could be finding a better way of spending £230million.  For example in maintaining our library services.  A library is a vital resource centre for most local communities and provides much more than a depository for books, not least as being somewhere central and accessible to put a polling station. So I will be voting No to AV on 5th May.