Referendum at last

[CosmicHenry]

AV here!

[Alan Stubbs]

Well , I certainly agree with that. Under the present system degrees have been devalued

 

W S Gilbert expressed it well.

"When everybody is somebody - why, nobody is anybody"

 

 

He also said, in a lampoon of the original W H Smith (Sir Joseph Porter, KCB in HMS Pinafore), 'I always voted at my party's call and never thought of thinking for myself, at all.'

 

How little things have changed.....

[chesters1]

the referendum should have contained many options ,do we want europe pulling our strings ,should we use real money not IOU's from banks with no money,should petrol tax be abolished and a million and one other things the government dont care or dont have a clue about ,should MP's be beaten on the streets at the slightest bad decision would get even me out ticking that box

[barry luxton]

Got a mail from my mate dave this morning:

 

 

 

Dear Barry,

 

Today is a big day for our country. It's AV referendum day and you need to make your voice heard. Unless enough people go out and vote, Britain could sleepwalk into a system that damages our democracy permanently. So I urge you to get down the polling station and vote 'No' to AV.

 

Remember, there are five big reasons why:

 

One - AV is complex. First Past the Post is so simple you can sum it up in seven words: the person with the most votes wins. AV is so confusing that when I was recently interviewed on the BBC, it became clear that one of their most experienced broadcasters didn't understand how it worked.

 

Two - AV is unfair. With First Past the Post, everyone gets one vote, and that vote is counted once. That's fair. But under AV, supporters of extremist or fringe parties can get their votes counted again and again and again. That's unfair. It's simply not right that the fifth vote of a Monster Raving Looney supporter counts as much as your first vote.

 

Three - AV takes power away from people and gives it to politicians. The great thing about our current system is that it always lets you kick dead-duck governments out on their ear. Remember 1979? Remember last year? Under AV, that sort of people power would be much less likely. It would mean more grey areas in election results, and more opportunities for tired politicians to cling on to power long after their time. Just think - if we'd had AV last year, Gordon Brown could still be in Downing Street today.

 

Four - AV is costly. Money is tight at the moment, so why get rid of a system that is cheap to administer for one that will inevitably cost more and bring loads more bureaucracy? I know, you know, that our money could be better spent on other things.

 

Five - AV is unpopular. First Past the Post is used by half the planet, from the world's biggest democracy - India - to the world's most powerful democracy - America. AV is used in just three countries: Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. And in Australia, they want to get rid of it.

 

Let the final word go to our greatest ever Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. He described AV as "the stupidest, the least scientific and the most unreal" voting system. He said it would mean elections are "determined by the most worthless votes given for the most worthless candidates". He's right. The campaigners for AV are wrong. So I urge you all to get down to the polling station today and vote 'No'.

 

Yours sincerely,

[ColinW]

I voted this morning. As usual I was accosted at the entrance to the polling station by two official looking people asking to see my polling card. I've been suspicious about this for a while, so this time I said "Why, who the hell are you?"

As I suspected, they (eventually) admitted that one worked for Labour and the other for the Conservatives. I reckon the only possible reason they could have for this activity is wanting to know where active voters live, so they can bombard us with more directed junk mail.

So I told them to sod off!

 

PS. In a monument to inefficiency they were collecting both sets of ballott papers in the same box. You really couldn't make it up.

[big_cod]

I voted this morning. As usual I was accosted at the entrance to the polling station by two official looking people asking to see my polling card. I've been suspicious about this for a while, so this time I said "Why, who the hell are you?"

As I suspected, they (eventually) admitted that one worked for Labour and the other for the Conservatives. I reckon the only possible reason they could have for this activity is wanting to know where active voters live, so they can bombard us with more directed junk mail.

So I told them to sod off!

 

PS. In a monument to inefficiency they were collecting both sets of ballott papers in the same box. You really couldn't make it up.

 

 

So you put your cross in the red box then colin.

 

paul.

Edited May 5, 2011 by big_cod

[barry luxton]

So you put your cross in the red box then colin.

 

paul.

Here ya go big cod, have a look at the email willie has sent us all, you going to offer support?

 

Dear Barry,

 

As I write, our country is taking a monumental decision about the future of our democracy.

 

Right now, the AV referendum is happening across Britain. This election is like no other in recent history.

 

The result will be permanent - there will be no way of changing the result if we get it wrong today.

 

So it is critically important that you go to your local polling station and vote NO if you haven't yet done so already.

 

At stake is a core British principle, an idea that has been the bedrock of our democracy for many years: One Person, One Vote.

 

Those four short words have been an inspiration to millions of people across the planet. Our way of voting - First Past the Post - is all about that idea.

 

It's simple, straightforward, tried and tested, fair and effective. It gives decisive results and strong leadership. And it's used by more than two billion people across the world.

 

By contrast, AV does not represent real reform but a damaged democracy that no one wants.

 

AV is less fair, less effective, more costly and undermines one person, one vote. It is a system used by just three countries in the world.

 

And uniquely, AV is capable of being both indecisive and disproportionate at the same time.

 

So it is absolutely vital that we defeat AV.

 

Don't assume you can rely on someone else to do it for you. This is a battle we need to win together - so go out and vote NO today.

[gozzer]

I haven't voted yet, (going in about an hours time).

I'm undecided on AV. I've weighed up the pros and cons. Listened to the scare mongering from both sides, (especially the no camp). Read the Jenkins report from 98. Although the proposed AV system is not the one I would prefer, I'm still undecided.

 

I've just read the letters from your mates, Davy boy and Willie boy Barry, and they've helped me no end.

Thanks Barry, it'll be a Yes vote from me then.

 

John.

[Vagabond]

Has anyone else noticed the blatant bias of BBC TV ?

 

Whenever AV is mentioned, there is a picture of someone waving a "yes" placard.

 

An uniformed observer might conclude "yes" (or abstention) are the only options.

 

I have drawn it to "Call me Dave's" attention - if more cuts are to come, someone should look closely at the BBC.

[barry luxton]

I haven't voted yet, (going in about an hours time).

I'm undecided on AV. I've weighed up the pros and cons. Listened to the scare mongering from both sides, (especially the no camp). Read the Jenkins report from 98. Although the proposed AV system is not the one I would prefer, I'm still undecided.

 

I've just read the letters from your mates, Davy boy and Willie boy Barry, and they've helped me no end.

Thanks Barry, it'll be a Yes vote from me then.

 

John.

No problem, i can definatly see an advantage in it btw. Thats for the returning officers etc as their public funded monies/fees will double, treble, go x 4 if there is a a v poll, it could get counted, counted again, counted again and the number 3rd or fourth or fifth choice voted for get's in, an amazing point was made the other day, if we had a v voting in the last election, 100 3rd choice candidates would be in parliament. Nice one.