Sunday, July 26, 2009
How Gordon Brown can be re-elected
By calling for electoral reform, the prime minister could re-engage with lost voters. There is a debate raging about whether to hold a referendum on the day of the next election to switch from the current first past the post voting system to the alternative vote. The reasons are mildly complicated and a detailed article is here.
The idea has unlikely support when we bear in mind the views of Gordon Brown's apparent crony Margaret Thatcher. Just after her third victory in 1987, Mrs Thatcher was asked by an inquisitive David Frost if it was time to give the other side, Labour, a go? Mrs T in high handbag mode replied: "Never. If they got in, the first thing they would do is introduce PR and then the Tories would never govern again".
In practice AV is not as vigorous as PR. All it would do is to give smaller parties like the Greens more of a say. A referendum could be a game-changer, a way of breaking through to turned-off and tuned-out voters, and a full argument of how it could benefit UK politics is given here.
IMO: The current UK system of voting is quite out of date, as is the way Parliament is run. Brown now is relying much more on unelected advisors than people voted in, simply because he has to and it is maybe better than the simple 'Yes, Minister' way. Australia has used a somewhat similar and better system for years (almost complete PR, not just AV) than the UK to no ill effect per se. Also, the measure is simple and easy to apply.
The idea has unlikely support when we bear in mind the views of Gordon Brown's apparent crony Margaret Thatcher. Just after her third victory in 1987, Mrs Thatcher was asked by an inquisitive David Frost if it was time to give the other side, Labour, a go? Mrs T in high handbag mode replied: "Never. If they got in, the first thing they would do is introduce PR and then the Tories would never govern again".
In practice AV is not as vigorous as PR. All it would do is to give smaller parties like the Greens more of a say. A referendum could be a game-changer, a way of breaking through to turned-off and tuned-out voters, and a full argument of how it could benefit UK politics is given here.
IMO: The current UK system of voting is quite out of date, as is the way Parliament is run. Brown now is relying much more on unelected advisors than people voted in, simply because he has to and it is maybe better than the simple 'Yes, Minister' way. Australia has used a somewhat similar and better system for years (almost complete PR, not just AV) than the UK to no ill effect per se. Also, the measure is simple and easy to apply.
# posted by uv : 3:53 AM
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