It seems that the heat and regal excitement has whipped one or two people who should really know better into a bit of a frenzy. In the last few days some wild accusations, ugly names, barmy ideas and frankly bonkers predictions have been bandied about.
The AV gloves came off last week, but nobody was expecting the Yes campaign to bring a knife to the fight. Mandy says it will hurt Dave, the No campaign say it will hurt Nick and everyone else is frankly confused. In almost all of the polls currently out, the undecideds have the ability to swing the final result. If the warfare continues like this, things could come right down to the wire. It's more likely that they will just be put off and stay at home.
The problem is that the AV referendum isn’t getting the coverage it needs for mature arguments to develop on the airwaves. Where at this point the relative benefits and downsides should be being debated in depth, the royal wedding is saturating all aspects of the media and the AV teams can only get any cut through with things that are negative or shocking.
The royal wedding is helping the Yes side as the fewer people hear about AV and the referendum, the more likely Yes can sneak it through by only getting their devout followers to the voting booths. The more people that hear about AV, the fewer people want it. Part of a referendum campaign should be an education, but Yes to Fairer Voters seem set on preaching to the converted.
There is light at the end of the tunnel though. There are going to be five days while the street cleaners sweep away the flags and empty beer cars, and the bunting is packed away for another royal day before the country goes to the polls.That five days is the chance to do this referendum campaign properly. Instead of the teams fighting each other personally, let's see them fight on the issues, face to face on TV and radio.
For those of us who believe referendums should be more frequent as part of a healthier democracy, the conduct of those supporting reform this time round has severely hampered the chances of something like this being repeated again any time soon.Instead of Chris Huhne just point blank refusing to engage on valid points raised and instead using his two minutes on the telly to call everyone liars, why doesn’t he just grow up and fight a clean fight? There is light at the end of the tunnel for the referendum, but let's hope it isn’t oncoming train.
Comments
river dance / April 27 2011 12:45pm
If you are not for AV then YES makes perfect sense.
Ken Hall / April 27 2011 2:28pm
What a fair, honest and balanced article. Well done. This has become a vary rare thing of late as both sides have descended into childish squabbling.
Sadly for those who would like more referenda, especially on membership of the EU, the Yes campaigns, behaviour descended into childish tantrums as soon as the first poll gave the No campaign a healthy 16 point lead. Since then two more polls have backed up that lead.
The No campaign should have remained above the level of petty name calling too. Sadly, some of them have taken the baiting from the few childish elements within the Yes campaign and sunk to that insulting level too.
Let's stick to the facts, stop telling lies and the misleading arguments on both sides.
for example:
Will AV help or or hinder the BNP?
In truth, the answer is both. In the Southern leafy middle-class areas, where left and right alike are more multiculturalist, environmentally aware and hate the BNP with a passion, AV will hinder them. These kinds of voters will most likely help the green party gain extra preference votes. Although the BNP never stood a chance in such areas anyway, they will find voters voting anything but the BNP.
The same cannot be said in the tiny, overly-represented Northern working class constituencies. In these run-down, urban areas, where "British Jobs for British Workers" struck a chord, the hard left labour supporters in those areas are more likely to support the socialist policies of the BNP. The nationalisation of British industry and utilities, the tough law and order policies and hard faced simplicity of their message on a wide range of policies, from attacking heterophobia and the soft-left's attack on the family, attacking multiculturalism and 'out of control' immigration, attacking the EU and attacking claims of human induced catastrophic climate disruption, are popular themes which resonate with Northern white working classes and these people will happily lend their support to the BNP and Labour.
Another claim is that AV will stop lazy MPs in safe seats. When any "lazy MP" is elected with 50%+ of the vote, the exact same thing applies in FPTP as in AV. AV will do nothing to stop lazy MPs in safe seats.
Another claim is AV is more proportionate than FPTP and will lead to permanent coalitions. This depends on how people vote and if tactical voting takes place or not. AV can lead to more proportionate results and AV can also lead to exaggerated results meaning bigger landslides and less proportionality.
Under both FPTP and AV it is possible for a national 40% share of the vote to lead to a majority of seats. This is clearly not proportionate. In some instances, it is possible for AV to be less proportionate than FPTP.
So let's get the facts on the table, stop the lies from both sides and debate this referendum question from a more adult and informed position, based on the known facts alone.
filipinomonkey / April 28 2011 7:16am
Ken, at last a rational discussion.
I want to vote in the referendum, but at present I have no idea which way to vote. The arguments banded about by the two sides have been spurious and trivial and haven't helped me come to a decision. The use of celebrities (why should I take any notice whatsoever to what Eddie Izzard thinks on this?) and hijacking the vote for other purposes (Mandleson, we should take this opportunity to give Mr Cameron a kicking) only serves to discredit an important national event, i.e. a referendum on the way we vote for our MP's.
This is an important constitutional matter ruined by self interest groups, I shall vote and only hope to read sensible debate to help me make up my mind which way to go.