Tuesday, May 03, 2011
YES! To AV – 2
Want to know my second-best reason to say YES! to the Alternative Vote on Thursday? My first’s to stop two thirds of MPs being elected – as they were last year – even though they were losers for most of their voters, with most people voting against them. My second choice reason’s pretty strong, too. Remember all those MPs caught milking our money a couple of years ago? Voting YES! makes it much easier to gang up on a crook and throw them out! And by an amazing coincidence, those MPs most against change were on average the biggest crooks. Gee, wonder why they want to keep the current system?
AV isn’t a magic bullet – if people vote for crooks, they’ll still get in. And some voters love being ripped off, and re-elect fat cats. No electoral system can overcome voter stupidity – though the No campaign reckon every single one of us is too thick to count, and only capable of marking a crude X as we wipe drool from our sagging jaws.
Can you count “1, 2, 3…”? Then you’re capable of voting in an AV election.
And that’s the beauty of it. If you have a crooked MP who you’re longing to get rid of, with AV you don’t have to try and guess who’s best-placed to beat them, and risk splitting the vote so they still get in even though most people vote against them – like a whole two thirds of current MPs. With AV, you don’t have to choose whether to pick someone you don’t like all that much in order to beat someone you hate, and make it look like the candidate you like most isn’t very popular. Just put your choices in order, and the system does the adding up for you to have the best chance of beating the crook!
Voting YES! to AV gives you the power to choose who you want most, and still gang up against your local crook.
In the most detail, top thoughtful blogger Andrew Rilstone explains.
If you prefer someone to explain in person, here’s a video of TV historian Dan Snow explaining the system.
And, most simply of all, a graphic (from here) that sums it up:
Meanwhile, the No Campaign have been telling lies. And more lies. And a lot more lies on top of that. They don’t think anyone could possibly support the current “first past the post” system (where usually the biggest loser “wins” when they’re nowhere near the “post”) on its merits. Well, except for the two thirds of the MPs who owe all their salaries, all their perks and all their power to the current system letting them “win” when more than half their voters vote against them. But ‘Let me keep my salaries, all their perks and all their power even though most of you hate me’ isn’t a winning argument, is it? So all they’ve got left is telling lies to make you too afraid to vote YES!
In fact, there are too many lies to deal with all in one post. So here’s a start.
You know the “No” leaflet you’ve had through your door? Here’s a simple guide to why it’s all a lie.
And here’s a leaflet that “No” haven’t actually produced, but give them time (note: this isn’t a lie. It’s satire).
And did you watch the “No” video? No, better things to do with your time, probably. But it turns out that’s all big fat lies too!
Not completely convinced yet to vote #Yes2AV? Try 1 of my other YES! reasons. Or 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8…!
Newer› ‹Older
AV isn’t a magic bullet – if people vote for crooks, they’ll still get in. And some voters love being ripped off, and re-elect fat cats. No electoral system can overcome voter stupidity – though the No campaign reckon every single one of us is too thick to count, and only capable of marking a crude X as we wipe drool from our sagging jaws.
Can you count “1, 2, 3…”? Then you’re capable of voting in an AV election.
And that’s the beauty of it. If you have a crooked MP who you’re longing to get rid of, with AV you don’t have to try and guess who’s best-placed to beat them, and risk splitting the vote so they still get in even though most people vote against them – like a whole two thirds of current MPs. With AV, you don’t have to choose whether to pick someone you don’t like all that much in order to beat someone you hate, and make it look like the candidate you like most isn’t very popular. Just put your choices in order, and the system does the adding up for you to have the best chance of beating the crook!
Voting YES! to AV gives you the power to choose who you want most, and still gang up against your local crook.
Here’s how AV works – Giving Your Vote More Power
In the most detail, top thoughtful blogger Andrew Rilstone explains.
If you prefer someone to explain in person, here’s a video of TV historian Dan Snow explaining the system.
And, most simply of all, a graphic (from here) that sums it up:
No To Lies (Part I) – Those Leaflets and That Video
Meanwhile, the No Campaign have been telling lies. And more lies. And a lot more lies on top of that. They don’t think anyone could possibly support the current “first past the post” system (where usually the biggest loser “wins” when they’re nowhere near the “post”) on its merits. Well, except for the two thirds of the MPs who owe all their salaries, all their perks and all their power to the current system letting them “win” when more than half their voters vote against them. But ‘Let me keep my salaries, all their perks and all their power even though most of you hate me’ isn’t a winning argument, is it? So all they’ve got left is telling lies to make you too afraid to vote YES!
In fact, there are too many lies to deal with all in one post. So here’s a start.
You know the “No” leaflet you’ve had through your door? Here’s a simple guide to why it’s all a lie.
And here’s a leaflet that “No” haven’t actually produced, but give them time (note: this isn’t a lie. It’s satire).
And did you watch the “No” video? No, better things to do with your time, probably. But it turns out that’s all big fat lies too!
Not completely convinced yet to vote #Yes2AV? Try 1 of my other YES! reasons. Or 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8…!
Labels: British Politics, Corruption, Referendum
