The UK wide referendum on the proposed introduction of an optional preferential Alternative Vote (AV) system last week resulted in a clear rejection of, in Deputy PM Nick Clegg’s pre-election terms, “a miserable little compromise” to the hoped for proportional representation system. It however cannot be seen as a final decision for the discredited and limited FPTP as some have self-servingly suggested.
The reported results in the 5 nations of Great Britain & Northern Ireland involved were:
England 69% No – 31% Yes
Scotland 64% No – 36% Yes
Wales 65% No – 35% Yes
N.Ireland 56% No – 44% Yes
Cornwall 70% No – 30% Yes
Note that the highest No vote was in Cornwall, despite being a traditionally strong Liberal voting area .. even many Lib Dems seemed to have voted against, or in some cases ballot papers were spoiled – in response to the way the proposal was introduced through The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill (aka Devonwall Bill).
This flawed Bill not only squibbed on electoral reform but also proposed over-rigid limits to voter numbers in constituencies, and thus the creation of two cross border parliamentary constituencies between Cornwall and England.
Regardless of the referendum result it is still likely, despite what should be an active and continuing campaign against (and close scrutiny of the electoral rolls), that one or more across Cornish border constituencies will be defined in time for a 2015 Westminster Parliament UK wide general election.
Looking past electoral reform, the majority gained by the SNP in the concurrent Parliament of Scotland elections, with their promise of a referendum of a form of independence for Scotland points to a fracture in the whole patched together edifice of the ‘United Kingdom’ and the crown.
Perhaps reform will now be refocussed and be amplified – on to the constitutional mess that is the State of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and on to much more thorny territory – the West Lothian question, the Duchy of Cornwall conundrum, England’s identity and governance (and thus one hopes on Cornwalls – the Amazon question perhaps?), to republicanism, the EU, and Ireland’s continuing partition.
The ‘No’ vote coalition may not realise how piskie-led they may have been.
Chris Dunkerley
10 May, 2011
The referendum was lost because the wrong question was asked.
Next time we should follow the New Zealand example. The referendum question should be a non binding question, simply, ‘Should we change the voting system?’
There would be a much better chance of getting a YES result, because the referendum debate would be all about FPTP, which is difficult to defend.
With a YES vote, in even a nonbinding referendum, we would be on the road to PR. It will take a while, but FPTP will serve up another blatantly absurd result sooner rather than later.
We should be looking more at AMS, keep the single member constituency and simple voting and counting and abandon preferential systems such as STV. Keep PR simple.
For an ‘AMS’ type PR system where all MPs are constituency MPs, avoiding the problems inherent in party lists, and constituency boundaries are not an issue, google DPR Voting