Let's get AV

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Comment by Paul Catherall on October 5, 2011 at 11:00

Erm if abolishing the curriculum & schools systems in favour of for-profit academies & free schools, and 'whipping' LibDem MPs to vote for early readings of the NHS Bill (fact) whilst debating the legalization of cananbis isn't a joke, I'm not sure what is?  Just look on 'they work for you' to see how the vast majority of LibDem ministers and MPs voted for the early NHS bill.

Yep the electoral reform was important, but was considered a red herring by the electorate, its time to move on from this debate and focus on fighting the Tories' liberalization of health and education, i.e. instead of LibDem ministers like Vince Cable sitting in Whitehall writing these policies in partnership with Tory ministers.

The conference motion you refer to was forced by senior LibDems on the fringes of the leadership, I'm glad this has happened, but it does show how the central values of the leadership and its MPs are at odds with both the wider party and electorate.

Comment by Janet King on September 8, 2011 at 13:50

Agreed, Chris. In answer to Charles, I have received a letter from ERS saying that it is not possible to create AV towns without upsetting the wholwe electoral system! Would John Bright, Richard Cobden,JS Mill, David Lloyd George, Jo Grimond  have taken that for an answer? I am trying to find out who told them it would be impossible and then we'll take it from there.

If AV is not what you want, at least it's a step in the right direction.I really think we do not need to all use the same mechanism to vote as long as we use the system we chose (I am stuck in a FPTP constituency tho).

Comment by Chris Burgess on September 7, 2011 at 22:24

How we elect our political representative's isn't a fringe issue - it's fundamental to every Govt policy for decades to come.  There is significant academic evidence that majoritarian systems lead to neoliberal outcomes (FPTP - US/UK vs Proportional systems - Scandinavia and much of Europe). It's impact is very significant.  Equally, UK Drug policy isn't a fringe issue - it's impact on crime alone affects all our lives.

That said, the NHS is important - which is why the Govt's consultation and changes to the NHS bill came as a result of a motion at the last LD conference and the sustained work of Shirley Williams and Dr Evan Harris, when few others are having any affect. There will be also be other motions on the NHS at the conference coming up in two weeks.

The joke is people posting on the Lib Dem boards who refer to the Lib Dems in the third person, while the most pro-active thing they can do to influence things is make snide comments on activist forum.

Comment by Paul Catherall on September 7, 2011 at 21:16

Yep AV was a good idea, but a fringe policy to most. The NHS is a much bigger issue. But as usual the LibDems would rather invest all their energies in these fringe issues like legalizing cannabis, than focusing on the really gigantic issues like preserving our curriculum led schools or NHS.

Joke.

Comment by David Rowe on July 13, 2011 at 14:40

thats right philip i will be standing as a candidate in september for thw Electoral Reform Society

Comment by Philip Lim on July 12, 2011 at 18:20

I see the Electoral Reform Society is offering 12 months free membership until 29th of July, 2011....

Comment by David Rowe on May 16, 2011 at 15:10

i am joining the lib dems tmoz i be going to local meetings so if you have anythink you want to say inbox me and i will help all the way thanks.

Comment by Helen Parker on May 15, 2011 at 21:01

I support the suggestion, but I would not like to have to account to anyone for not requesting a recount in Edinburgh Southern. I would have done so if I had thought ahead to such a prospect. 

Comment by Janet King on May 15, 2011 at 19:54

I do not mean that we should have any more consultations - we have allowed the electorate to decide how they want to vote (tho it would have been more sensible to have had the referendum after the boundary revision).At the next GE I suggest that AV towns such as Oxford, LB of Islington etc should be allowed to use the AV system and the NO constitiuencies should be allowed to use FPTP, which they chose this year. It is the real democratic, diverse and local way, which our Government professes to support. I wonder whether they will ever allow it to happen or whether we must `all swing together'. What do you think? Shall we write to Nick or someone else with this suggestion??

Comment by Paul Catherall on May 12, 2011 at 9:12

In 'normal' times when the economy was more stable and we had less intense debate on the future of education and the NHS (I'm talking like pre 2000 or something) a discussion on AV would have been very interesting and may have captured the public's imagination, especially at a time when people were enthused by the charlatan socialist Tony Blair.

Now we have serious and devestating anti-reforms happening, the dis-establishment of the curriculum based state education system and NHS.  

Millions of the progressive electorate are furious with the LibDems for repeatedly supporting the for-profit liberalization of the schools system and health, not to mention a myriad of daily policy revelations which make most progressives sick.

Most commentators agree that the reason AV failed wasn't because it isn't a fairer system, but because it threatened the entrenched conservative south and provided progressive voters with a weapon to hurt the LibDems.

It's time to listen to the electorate and start implementing LibDem policy today, this means a reversal of the disheartening and appaling perfomance of LibDem MPs the other day when they failed to support Labour's motion vs. the NHS bill.

It's also time to start looking at why other progressive parties are supported by the electorate such as the SNP and Welsh Labour, and why the LibDems are being abandoned, I wonder if it has something to do with implementing progressive policies instead of supporting Neoliberal economic fascist ones?

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