2011 Streak 125: Run - 2.45 miles, Time - 24min 31sec, Weather - overcast
No this is not the polling station. I know we cast our votes in fairly basic public buildings but we do not yet use lock-up sheds. Voting was very quiet though, when I went, and we might well have all been able to fit in.
I had thought the referendum on our voting system would bring out more people, as it is an important matter.
For what it is worth, I voted yes for AV but have a suspicion the vote will be lost, primarily because it is associated with the Liberal Democrats and at the moment they are held in low esteem. It would be a shame if that was the case because the issue is far bigger than one political party.
However it must be said that the campaign has been very ineffective. I have talked to a number of, generally well informed, people who dismiss the whole thing with a shrug and say they do not understand it.
Partly the cause has been disinformation from both sides. The Yes side has made some widely exaggerated claims like it will make MPs work harder but the lies of the No campaign have been staggering. They have totally misrepresented Australia (who have AV) by saying they want to move back to first past the post, they claim it will aid the BNP when the opposite is likely to be the case (BNP are against AV), and made up a figure of £250 million for the cost of AV (a figure which includes £90 million for the referendum itself and £130 million for voting machines which aren't necessary). In fact there are too many dubious claims for me to list.
Deceit in public debate debases that debate and leads to "they're all as bad as each other" cynicism. But in the referendum the No campaign have been telling far more lies.
But I think the other reason for the confusion is that I don't think the media have done a very good job of clearly laying out the pros and cons of the issue. They are far more interested in splits in the coalition and personal rows. Such things are unimportant. What matters is that we all make a considered judgement about what is the best method of electing our MPs and for that all we need is clear information.
P.S. I did a little more running, as well as vote
3 comments:
What's AV?
In a two horse race first past the post decides the winner and everything is fine. If however there are more parties you can get a situation where the person with the most votes is not an accurate representation of the will of the electorate. This recently happened in Canada where the left of centre vote was split between the NDP and Liberals, allowing the Conservatives a majority.
With AV (alternative vote) you are allowed to rank your preferences so that the second choices of the lowest polling parties would be reallocated until someone achieves a clear majority.
It seems to me to be a slightly fairer system.
Thanks! There also was an article in today's Washington Post explaining the vote.
Post a Comment