Talk to me about AV - I am all ears!

[sungirltan]

Had bumpf addressed to tory boy dh today against AV. All my lib dem friends are for it.

Please help me make sense it it!

The Lib Dems are for it as they are often second choice in a constituency. AV gives them more chance of being pushed in to first place and therefore winning the seat, as explained so brilliantly by GiddyPickle.
I will be voting No as I also think it's the thin end of the wedge, and once they get some form of PR, they'll change it to another, even more unfair version WITHOUT consulting the public.

even more unfair version WITHOUT consulting the public.

How about we go straight to PR this is the only fair option

17.5% of the vote = 17.5% of the seats
40% of the votes = 40% of the seats

The only problem I see and it is a BIG problem is the lack of a constituency link although I cannot see why each constituency party cannot put forward their choice for the party list so the the party hierarchy cannot choose those on the list.

Just a thought.

This can be a win win situation for some, depends upon your politics.

YES and I get what I want and maybe the first step to STV or PR.

NO and I get what I want and Clegg and Beaker get a kicking from the LD activists and non ministerial LD MP's who will have got NOTHING from the link up with the Tories.

If the LD's lose the AV vote and lots of council seats and do badly in the Scottish and Welsh elections I can see a leadership challenge to Clegg which even if he wins will badly weaken him.

Maybe the LD's need to learn that if you lay down with dogs you get fleas.

I can't see a leadership challenge to Clegg yet. At the end of the day, LD's have been hankering for power for as long as I can remember. And they'll be desperate not to self destruct after little over a year in power.

Although GiddyPickle is convinced that tactical voting is possible under AV most people think it is not really possible. By that I mean that to give your preferred party(s) the best chance of winning you should put them in order of preference on the ballot paper. If there are parties you can't stomach, you can either leave them blank or put them last - it will make very little difference to the end result.

Although there are examples of how tactical voting could make a difference with hindsight, if you don't know in advance how everybody else is going to vote you are best putting your parties in order of preference - i.e. not tactically.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/2010/09/02/tactical-voting-isn%E2%80%99t-a-practical-strategy-in-alternative-vote-elections/ has a very good explanation

You cannot simultaneously keep the constituency link and have PR. AV is a much fairer way of electing a constituency MP. It will make little difference, but it will make a little difference in terms of fairness.

Remember at the moment the LDs - hate them though we do - are very much under-represented in parliament. One day we might be glad to have a system that doesn't force us into 2 party politics - and this might be our only chance to get it.

Many - indeed most - constituencies will not be affected by a change from FPTP to AV:

• if one party has >50% support they win at first round.
• if one party is

C&P From Andrew Rawnsley in the Observer

If you are a typical Observer reader, you will be a high-minded person who will cast your vote in the referendum after considered thought about which electoral system will best serve Britain over the longer term. But you may just happen ? especially if you are a Labour person ? to be wondering how to stir up maximum trouble for the coalition: do you vote No because the Lib Dems want a Yes or do you vote Yes because the Tories want a No? If that is the question that matters to you, here is the answer. A No vote will be a terrible headache for Nick Clegg; a Yes vote will be a skull-splitting migraine for David Cameron.

That does it for me :o

hey thanks everyone - been out and about today but really appreciate all your replies.

newwave - think you may have swayed me :)

newwave - think you may have swayed me

Good :o if Cameron, Osbourn, Landsley, Gove, dont like it then I am all for it.

TBH a few weeks ago I was undecided and wanted to "kick" Clegg but far better to piss off call me Dave