How will you vote tomorrow?

[The Large One]

Tory and YES.

I would actually have considered voting Green but their coalition with Labour locally means I won't as I remember how dire the last local Labour administration was.

Because we have a superb Tory administration now...

I found the town, then city, came on leaps and bounds under Labour. Brighton was a bit of a shithole 20 years ago.

Edit: Sorry... what coalition?

 

[The Large One]

We may be the first city to elect and green MP and follow it up with a Green majority council.

Around our way Green posters outnumbering Labour ones about 5 to 1, no sign of any other posters or supporters knocking on doors, I have only seen Green activists on our estate.

Much as there might be talk of a Green-led council, I can't see it personally.

But then, I thought that the Tories would finish second at the General Election in the Brighton Pavilion constituency, so what do I know?

 

[Napper]

Good news Labour winning again following this government cocking it all up.

This on a tory board as well.

Encouraging

 

[DTES]

Apols for the pedantry but yes they do.
Faversham & Mid Kent and an ipswich constituency are just two examples of members being elected with other half of the popular vote within the constituency,

Agreed - apologies, that was wrong. "Not all" is more accurate.

Of course those that do achieve 50% under FPTP would still be elected under AV, winning in the first round.

 

[Joey Deacon's Disco Suit]

When the only two party leaders voting NO are from the Tories and BNP you know to vote YES.

........ says it all

It says absolutely nothing and is the very worst type of scaremongering. All you are trying to do is associate a 'No' vote to some sort of vote for either the Tories or BNP. Looking at who is helping spearhead the No campaign there is an illustrious list of names from the Left and if you want a case for not voting for change from a Leftie then I'll point you in the direction of the New Statesman article New Statesman - A liberal case against the Alternative Vote. Let's see you try and spin that one as support for the Right.

Vote Yes, vote No or whatever your conscience tells you but this sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude that some people on the Yes side have really gets my goat.

 

[Acker79]

Idiot question time:

If the result comes back as yes, are the government obligated to bring it in? I was under the impression this is a referendum, and referendums are not legally binding (though give an indication of the nation's feeling).

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I think you're probably correct. Strange how despite all the bitching at a national level that a coalition doesn't represent the voters wishes, Labour are quite happy locally to do exactly the same. I think the Greens might have just grabbed a majority if they hadn't got into bed with Labour.

I think the idea of a coalition is fine, but it must be between organisations which have some ideoligical commonality in order for it to work properly and legitimately. How can two diametrically opposed parties move forward together coherently? In my mind they cannot. Labour and Green is different though. They can, and will, work together.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Green should sweep the boards hopefully. It may be a local election, but what Labour first mooted and the Conservatives are planning to continue to try and action in terms of the break up of the NHS alone should be enough for any upstanding citizens to give both those parties a wide berth. Anyone considering voting for either should be taken round the back of the polling station, shot in the left buttock and then denied treatment at the Royal Sussex until they produce a cheque book to pay for surgery to repair the aforementioned butt trauma.

 

[Mammoth]

Not obliged. In fact legislation would still have to pass through paliament. A substantial rebellion against the whips could scupper it.

 

[clippedgull]

I have already recycled my postal vote. They all pretend to care at Election time.

 

[DTES]

It says absolutely nothing and is the very worst type of scaremongering. ... Vote Yes, vote No or whatever your conscience tells you but this sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude that some people on the Yes side have really gets my goat.

Neither in terms of scaremongering, or having a holier-than-thou attitude does it even compare to the No campaign's adverts suggesting that voting Yes will result in babies dying. Absolutely sickening.

(Note - I'm not defending any scaremongering on the Yes side, just pointing out that it's not on the same level)

 

[DTES]

Not obliged. In fact legislation would still have to pass through paliament. A substantial rebellion against the whips could scupper it.

Half-true. It becomes tied to the boundary changes - if the whips scupper it, they'll also scupper the boundary changes in the process. It becomes all-or-nothing for the reform.

 

[The Large One]

I think you're probably correct. Strange how despite all the bitching at a national level that a coalition doesn't represent the voters wishes, Labour are quite happy locally to do exactly the same. I think the Greens might have just grabbed a majority if they hadn't got into bed with Labour.

They haven't.

They might after the election, but there is no coalition at present.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not obliged. In fact legislation would still have to pass through paliament. A substantial rebellion against the whips could scupper it.

Come on. If there is a Yes vote and it is delayed from being passed the coalition will collapse; the Liberals will see to this.

 

[sten_super]

It says absolutely nothing and is the very worst type of scaremongering. All you are trying to do is associate a 'No' vote to some sort of vote for either the Tories or BNP. Looking at who is helping spearhead the No campaign there is an illustrious list of names from the Left and if you want a case for not voting for change from a Leftie then I'll point you in the direction of the New Statesman article New Statesman - A liberal case against the Alternative Vote. Let's see you try and spin that one as support for the Right.

Vote Yes, vote No or whatever your conscience tells you but this sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude that some people on the Yes side have really gets my goat.

That NS article is interesting, but doesn't make much of a compelling case, IMHO.

The first point, that AV is not a particularly great system, and certainly a long way from PR, is true, but he noticably doesn't compare it to FPTP. If we were voting on AV vs PR it'd be a valid complaint, but we're not.

The second point about 'unequal' power to voters, is quite simply nonsense and I completely fail to see how anyone can believe this to be the case. The vote is effectively conducted in rounds, and everyone has one single vote in that round.

Incidentally, I've gone from being a staunch Yes, to wavering, and back to firm support for Yes again over the past couple of weeks. The lack of any decent or persuasive arguments from the No campaign has been a big factor in my decision-making process; the negative campaigning that they've been undertaking has really disappointed me.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

the negative campaigning that they've been undertaking has really disappointed me.

This is the traditional Tory style though. God only knows how the Libs can support the Tories after seeing those No leaflets with Clegg on.

 

[Albumen]

It says absolutely nothing and is the very worst type of scaremongering.

The very worst?
At least mine is a fact.

AV makes sense, it's not the best system but its better and fairer than FPTP.

 

[beorhthelm]

AV makes sense, it's not the best system but its better and fairer than FPTP.

really, is it? ah, why didnt someone say so then? thats me convinced, dont worry about actually making the arguement for AV (as apposed to the argument against FPTP or for PR which is all there seems to be).

 

[Chicken Run]

When the only two party leaders voting NO are from the Tories and BNP you know to vote YES.

Do you, why's that?

 

[Pavilionaire]

After 83 NSC votes the total Tory yes/no-combined vote is 21, while Labour stand at 25. Even though the Lib Dems have hit the buffers there are other minority parties taking up the slack, particularly the Greens and UKIP. I see the combined Green / Other yes/no vote is also at 25, putting them ahead of the main party of Government!

This suggests to me that neither main party stand much of a chance of getting much beyond 40% of the national votes cast with FPTP, in which case we're in for more hung parliaments if we DON'T get AV.