Why I Say Yes in May
In less then three months, we have an incredible opportunity to update the system that effects our lives. When it comes to how laws are made in our country, our main interaction is in the ballot box. We vote to choose the Member of Parliament that we want to represent us, and trust them to serve our best interest as they work for us in Westminster. This year we have been given a referendum, a chance for all of us to have our say on a single issue, in this case, the way we vote.
This is the first UK-wide referendum to take place in my lifetime (the last one being in 1975, relating to Europe), which is something that I find particularly exciting. The importance of this change is signified in the fact that we are all being asked to vote on it. The choice we are being offered is simple. Do we want to keep the voting system as it is? Or do we want the Alternative Vote?
What is wrong with our current system?
Our current system, First Past The Post (FPTP), means that when you go in to a ballot box, you select the one candidate that you want to vote for, and that the one with the most votes wins that seat. This sounds fair but what it means in reality is that 2 out of 3 MPs in our parliament have less then 50% of the vote. This means that most of us are represented by people most of us voted against.
In January 2011, the independent think tank IPPR, published ‘Worst of Both Worlds: Why First Past The Post No Longer Works’ – the analysis of the May 2010 general election shows that the result was decided in just 111 constituencies by fewer than 460,000 voters – or 1.6 per cent of the electorate.That means the votes of less then 2% of us made a difference to who came into power.
IPPR director, Nick Pearce “Britain now has a broken voting system that needs to be fixed. Unless First Past the Post is reformed the UK will be left with a voting system that neither delivers fair representation nor single-party government. The last election result was not an aberration but a reflection of long-term changes in voting patterns across the UK which significantly increase the likelihood of more hung parliaments in the future. Britain has evolved into a multi-party system, but it still has an electoral system designed for only two parties.”
FPTP also makes it more difficult for us in the ballot box. We have to think tactically, often voting to try and stop a candidate rather then voting for who we want to win, as these can be seen as wasted votes. It means that many MPs get a very easy ride, and what they have is basically a ‘job for life.’ It helps keep the system closed in terms of who can win a seat, and stops new passionate candidates from becoming MPs.
What is the Alternative Vote?
The Alternative Vote is not a radical change to our system, but it is a small and meaningful tweak to what we have. The difference for us when we go into the ballot box is that we will be able to select more then one candidate to vote for. Instead of placing a cross against one name, we will be able to number the candidates in order of preference. We could just vote for one, or all candidates if we like. We don’t have to think tactically, just put down our real feelings about the candidates.
The votes numbered 1 will be counted first, and if a candidate has over 50% of the vote, they will then win. If not, the person that comes last will be taken out of the running, and the second preferences of the people that voted for them will be added to the other candidates scores. If somebody now has 50% they win, if they don’t the process is repeated until this is the case. This means that the elected MP will have deeper support in their constituency, and so they will have to work harder to win and keep their seats.
The AV is currently used in many ways across the world, such as in the Australian House of Representatives, The Labour and Liberal Democrats leadership contests, and in deciding the Academy Award for Best Picture.
What About The Boundary Changes?
Some of us have been confused by the media and what has been coming out of Westminster on boundary changes to our constituencies and how this relates to the alternative vote. The government decided to merge the legislation paving the way for a referendum on AV, with their own legislation to reduce the number of seats in the House of Commons. Many MPs and Peers felt that these issues should have been separated, but they were not. However the referendum is about AV and AV only. the issues around boundary changes and reducing the number of MPs are something that we don’t get our say on, and this will be decided by the Houses of Parliament before the May Referendum. The only question on the ballot paper is whether the first past the post system should be replaced by the Alternative Vote system.
Why Am I supporting the Yes Campaign?
If you have ever spent time criticising the way that politics works in our country, or felt that your voice is not heard loud enough, this is your moment to do something about it. We are being offered a very special opportunity to change the system, it’s 2011, the current system is from another era and does not reflect how we vote or how we think. If we don’t take this chance now to change things, we can’t be sure we will ever be asked again. This isn’t about party politics, it is deeper then that. It doesn’t matter which end of the political spectrum you feel more connected to, this change will deliver a positive result for all. For me it is a total no brainer, ask yourself, do you want a fairer and more representative system?
For that simple reason, I am happy to be supporting the Yes to AV campaign as Vice-Chair.
So join me, and say Yes in May!
Amisha x
How can you get involved and Say Yes to AV in May?
We have less then three months until polling day, are you registered to vote? If not, please do so here.
Read more about the Alternative Vote, and find out how you can support us in the Yes to AV campaign.
Link to Guardian Article Today – Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter back AV Yes Campaign
Link to Yes to AV Blog Post – Colin Firth, Amisha Ghadiali, and Billy Bragg Join The People’s Campaign
Watch this Video:
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[…] I wrote about why I am voting Yes, and the difference between the two systems on offer. You can read that here. But now as the campaign has really launched and there has been more media attention, I wanted to […]
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[…] Amisha has also written about her support on her blog. […]
For those of you that are more politically minded, Left Foot Forward, are writing regularly on the campaign. Try this one:
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/09/the-case-for-av/
Thanks for making your voice heard on this important issue. Most of what you say is right on the money, however I’m not so sure about your explanation of how the AV system works. For a very clear description of both systems, the Electoral Commission have released some public information booklets which you can find at http://bit.ly/hjnfim.
Well-known journalist and Radio 4 Today host John Humphries has an excellent and impartial article on the referendum that you can see here: http://bit.ly/ebgNxR
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. Everything I said is correct in terms of how the system works (got it checked before I posted it), I was just explaining it from a point of view of the voter as opposed to the technical info about the system. But some will want much more info so thanks for your links.
Best Wishes,
Amisha
I started out thinking “AV will be unfair, because I would only ever vote Labour, whereas someone who cares less about politics gets to vote multiple times.” I’m sure I was not alone in thinking that. But now I see it, it actually frees me up to vote Labour because that’s where my heart is. But if the real fight in my area is between the centre right and the far right (or even the far left – sometimes it’s hard to tell the two apart), I would actually get a chance to influence that. We play party politics, but let’s be honest, there are politicians that we disagree with, and politicians that would be a disaster if they came to power. AV is about being grown-up and swallowing your pride for the sake of protecting society from extremists.
Thanks Tim, I think that this decision is about much more then party politics and in fact if we let it be about the current politicians – Cameron V Clegg then we will be showing that we are missing the point. As far as I am concerned a great opportunity that make a change that will have far more long term impact then on the current government.
I think it is quite telling that many politicians don’t want to change the system, it makes you wonder what they feel they have to gain from the current system.
Thank you for enlightening me regarding the boundary changes. I now realise they will not be decided on May the 5th by the electorate, but will be decided by May 5th by the two houses. I do not feel that AV is the ideal form of PR but it is a start. I have lived through elections where the majority of votes have gone to the party that came second. I also have joint UK/OZ nationality and have no knowledge of a big demand for the first past the post system. Those that are unhappy with AV need only to give one preference as you have mentioned.
Thanks for your comment John. It has been a bit confusing with the media in terms of the Boundary Changes. This article on BBC news shows what is going on – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12650869
Watching how the campaign has been going, and the types of tactics being used to scare people out of change, I think it is important that we all come together and vote for a change on May 5th, a fairer more representative system!