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Original poster

AV or not ?

334 replies

theoldbrigade · 20/04/2011 19:00

Thoughts please.

OP posts:
conculainey · 05/05/2011 17:41

I live in N.I and as both the main parties who always get in have very strong terrorist connections particuarlly Sinn Fien I will not vote for any of them, the AV system or similar has been used here in the past and it made no difference tbh such is the voting system here were people from Eire can vote in N.I (U.K) elections which makes the vote swing considerably towards the republicans.

Swedes2 · 05/05/2011 17:41

LOL @ sufferage.

spongefingerssavedmylife · 05/05/2011 17:45

No. When I vote there is one person I want to win and the rest I don't. So I will never be able to put a second choice. This means that people who do put a second choice potentially have more say than I do. And perhaps they are able to rank their candidates in order of preference because they care less who wins.

LuckyWeKeptTheCot · 05/05/2011 17:56

Swedes2 - oh yes - me too! - Freudian slip. Just found a spare 'e' lying around and thought I'd bung it in.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 05/05/2011 17:56

No.
Went to an interesting debalte last night in Richmond with the nos and the yesses represented, and basically the nos wiped the floor yesses who were the LibDemDems - teh latter being a self-servign bunch who would be the only beneficiaries from the change. I was undecide as i din;'t understand it before I went - but wjen it was explained clearly it was a no-brainer. Felt aa bit sorry for the LibDemDems who were slaughtered, but they were exposed as being in it for their own gain.

SoloIsApparentlyACougar · 05/05/2011 17:59

I've said NO, because although I'm not of the 'political understanding' group, I have the feeling that the AV may give parties like the BNP more of a chance to 'get in' and I don't want that to happen. Of course, I may be way off the mark and probably am, in which case I'm ok with it staying the same as it is.

EldritchCleavage · 05/05/2011 18:01

DH and I voted yes.

QueenyQueen · 05/05/2011 18:19

Yes! 1,000 times yes!

See these videos for the best reasons.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 05/05/2011 18:53

swedes, it makes no sense for the LD to be able to get votes from the man parties, as the main parties always get the most votes and will therefore not be eliminated (unless something major changes in politics).

It is more likely that the LD will NOT benefit from AV I would think. Not on a national scale, anyway.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 05/05/2011 18:55

solo - it will not give them more of chance to get in.

They are a smaller party and they will be eliminated quickly (on a national level)

This is part of a wider issue in that (as I have said on another thread) - if the BNP are getting in on votes, then they deserve to be in. I think that they are just about the lowest form of political life, but if they get the votes, they get the votes.
Using a voting system to artificially keep a party down is a silly idea - they need to be eliminated through education at a ground root level.

GiddyPickle · 05/05/2011 18:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

edam · 05/05/2011 19:11

The opinion polls suggest the 'no' campaign will win by a country mile.

Swedes, that Ch4 thing sounds about right - Lib Dems will scoop the majority of second preferences by posing as all things to all men. Except that now we've seen what they actually do when they are in power, maybe that will change...

teahouse · 05/05/2011 19:28

I've just voted YES

Rohanda · 05/05/2011 19:39

So many good arguments on either side, I had to google "What would Tony Benn do?"

And it was a Yes. So that's what it just was.

jenny60 · 05/05/2011 19:41

conculainey: I sympathise with your not wanting to vote for Sinn Fein or any other party with terrorist links, but on the other hand, parties like Alliance get a chance under AV in NI: Naomi Long would not have been elected under FPTP.

jenny60 · 05/05/2011 19:42

I voted yes, but even if I hadn't I still would have enjoyed the whole process as ever. I love voting and think of the suffragists/suffragettes every time I cast a ballot.

zanz1bar · 05/05/2011 19:48

Yes, YEs, YES.

sorky · 05/05/2011 20:22

I was torn....

I voted NO on the basis that the LibDem's were cheeky fuckers for thinking they could get into bed with the Torys and then the first thing they do is try to change the system so they stand a better chance of winning.

That and it's nowhere near PR, which is the only option for change

ItsGrimUpNorth · 05/05/2011 20:28

MrsGuyofGisbourne, "Felt aa bit sorry for the LibDemDems who were slaughtered, but they were exposed as being in it for their own gain."

Ahem, what do you think the Tories are in FPTP for then? As if any of the parties are in it for the love of god and the country's soul?

feralgirl · 05/05/2011 20:42

Voted yes as I feel I have a duty to disagree with anything that David Cameron says and the "choose between bullet proff vests/ life support for babies and AV" posters really pissed me off.

Both systems are rubbish but I think FPTP is a bit more rubbish than AV. The question is craply worded; it should be whether you want to vote for it to stay as it is or change the system and then decide what it should be changed to in the unlikely event that the yes vote wins.

GypsyWillow · 05/05/2011 20:42

Have just been and voted no, everyone I know has also voted no. Not really a random sample but i'm wondering if the yes campaign stands a chance? polls also seem to suggest that the result will be in favour of no change.

I'm with jenny60 though - voting is such a wonderful thing!

FourFingeredKitkat · 05/05/2011 20:43

It's going to be a "No", isn't it?

Swedes2 · 05/05/2011 20:44

PffftTheMagicDragon Channel 4 Fact Check established Lib Dems would benefit from a switch to AV see here for a roundup of the accuracy of AV claims and counterclaims

I voted no to AV.

pointydog · 05/05/2011 20:50

Yes to AV. It's to the advantage of the voting public to have AV.

And the No campaign was full of such poor arguments, I could never vote for it. I don't associate myself with bollocks.

SoupDragon · 05/05/2011 20:50

I planned to vote No, just because the timing is all wrong. However, I simply can't be arsed to go and vote. I would have gone if it were the local elections here too but it isn't and I am struck by an intense sense of apathy.