No to AV, Yes to PR

It's thirty years ago the Labour party split and the SDP was formed, let's say Lord David Owen was never my favourite politician, but I have to say I noticed what he has had to say on the AV referendum in May, "A proper choice should include the third option of proportional representation. It is a democratic disgrace that we in this House, it seems, are incapable of bringing this about”

I have wrote before about the Alternative Vote, it's not proportional and all votes are not equal and is no fairer than the current electoral system.

I'm irritated that Proportional Representation is not on the ballot paper in May, especially as there was an amendment put down in parliament to include PR on the ballot, it would appear no Lib Dem MPs supported the amendment, strange as Nick Clegg said of the AV Labour proposal “I am not going to settle for a miserable little compromise thrashed out by the Labour Party”. No Nick, just a miserable little compromise thrashed out by you and David Cameron!

I support the Additional Member System, this giving equal weight to each voters ballot, a vote for your constituency MP and your party choice to add proportionality to the final result. It was a tragedy that the Jenkins AV+ proposal was not put to the British people for their consideration.

In the most recent YouGov opinion poll, it suggests 'other' parties have 14% support, yet AV will not help gain representation for those parties, it appears the two party system is braking down with a more plural political system is emerging, so the electoral system needs to be able to accommodate that plurality.

I am not convinced AV is a step towards PR.

I will not be able to vote Yes to PR so it's no to AV.