What do we think about electoral reform?

[DrNortherner]

I know a bit about politics but it amazes me how little many people do know. Because of this I am concerned that as a country we may be ill equipped to have a referendum on electoral reform.

I always thought Lib Dems were pro PR and now Clegg is bigging up the alternative vote. At least with AV we get to keep constituencies and MP's - I can't even think about PR and teh changes that would mean without my head exploding.

I think I am in the camp of keeping FPTP. What does everyone else think?

I want PR. I don't think AV is anywhere near enough, but it is an important first step.

I'm with FPTP. Clegg was right that AV is a "miserable little compromise" but it is all he could get out of Cameron.

AV is cobblers. I'd rather have FPTP if PR is off the agenda.
I doubt if I'll bother to participate in this referendum - along with about 30 million other Brits I suspect.

Trouble is if we don't get AV, we will be stuck with FPTP forever.

I'd rather have AV than the present system.

I want to stay with fptp

I don't think AV will win. It would have won immediately after the election, because the public was angry. But now that feeling has dissipated, and the big parties are telling us it is not good for us. So, unfortunately, I think it won't win.

We have PR in Scotland, it has drawbacks, but I prefer it to first past the post and AV, I will vote for AV because I want to see the system reformed, to vote against will play into the Tories hands, leaving us with the rubbish system in place now.

The LibDems are backing it, but they have been discredited to a great extent due to anger at their U-turn over university fees etc.

I'm going to vote no, mainly because I don't want to be supporting Clegg. I do also think FPTP is more stable though.

AV, AV, AV.

I want PR but would have settled for AV as a first step. I will however vote against it because I believe that if the AV vote is lost a lot of non ministerial LD MP's will start to rebel which I hope will break up the coalition.

The reason I believe this is because they will think Clegg, Alexander and Laws have sold the KID's "soul" for fuck all gain and the LD's will be wiped out at the next election so the only way to get back some "cred" with the mostly left wing LD activists and voters is to oppose the coalition so at the next election they can claim "it wasnt me guv" that destroyed the NHS, allowed the private sector to suck the blood out of the public services and blighted millions of lives.

LD,s soul

I really don't know

I don't like the idea of the country having hung parliaments which I am told is likely with PR.

For over 10 years however we have lived in a relatively affluent area which attracts a lot of retirees who tend to be very conservatives in their views. It is a very safe Tory seat in the FPTP system so my vote never counts for anything and I would like to feel that it did matter in some way.

I have been told though that AV will not solve this although it may benefit the LibDems as they can expect to be 2nd choice for many who vote Labour in order to prevent Tory getting in and vice versa.

I wish the benefits and drawbacks were clearer. Will wait for you all to enlighten me!

Serenity.

The plus point is that in far more constituencies it will your vote count.

I live in a nice part of the Home Counties and in my constituency you could (and often do :o ) put a blue rosette on a pig and it would get elected so my LD vote means nothing however with AV the LD's would be in with a chance as I suspect the Labour voters would put LD as a second preference.

The second point is that an MP has to have over 50% of the total vote which is more democratic.

The Tories like FPTP because everyone knows that Tories will never be the second choice of non tory voters except maybe UKIP or the BNP voters.

AV doesn't get rid of the concept of a safe seat. If a seat is safe Labour, for example, the Labour voter will still vote Labour #1 and will give their 2nd and 3rd choices to no-hoper, minority parties, rather than risk an LD or Tory 'best of the rest' effect.

I don't think British culture is geared up for the likely effects of PR or AV. The first time a candidate scraped through with enough second and third choices to win the seat, I predict there would be grumbling and cries of 'unfair'.

As can be seen at the moment, we also expect our political parties to state their intentions in a manifesto and then carry them out if they win. Biggest criticism about Clegg is that he is 'selling out'. What we'd have to get our heads around in future is that manifestos are left behind at the ballot box and compromise coalition deals are settled after the votes have been cast. This is the norm in other countries where PR or AV applies.