A recent survey by Ipsos MORI found that 53 per cent per cent of Labour voters were in favour of a Yes vote on AV, compared to just 29 per cent per cent opposed. This shows that scurrilous negative campaigning by the No camp – claiming a Yes vote would endanger the lives of premature babies or our armed services (see here) – is failing to convince Labour supporters. Yesterday’s Independent on Sunday saw this claim utterly demolished when it was revealed that a senior Treasury minister had confirmed that the outcome of a referendum would not have ANY impact on public spending plans.
Labour Yes, by contrast, has sought to make a principled case for reforming our voting system, and will be out on the doorstep reinforcing Labour’s positive appeal to the electorate in May’s elections. Voters understand the need to change the system after the scandal of the MPs’ expenses crisis, and are increasingly attracted to a system that would mean all MPs would have to work hard to build a broad base of support in the community.
A positive approach to AV is a winning position for Labour. According to polling conducted by ICM, 13 per cent of respondents suggested that support for AV would make them more likely to vote Labour in May. These poll findings show that a positive stance on electoral reform would help the party in the important elections being held on the same day. Fourteen per cent of Scottish respondents said they would be more likely to vote Labour if it backed AV, while 8 per cent of those in Wales would look more on the party more positively in those circumstances. So, too, people across England would look on support for a yes vote equally favourably, with people in party heartlands like the northeast 15 per cent more likely to vote Labour should they adopt a positive stance.
By contrast, David Cameron and the Conservative party are desperate for a No vote. They know that, of the two parties, Labour is best placed to appeal to the many and not the few when it comes to general elections. Research shows that Labour would have benefited from AV at every single election since 1992 (the earliest election for which we have polling on second preferences). It is no wonder that the Tories are virtually unanimous in their opposition, and that key donors like Sir Rodney Leach have helped to found the No campaign, and that the head of Taxpayers’ Alliance is giving up his time to front it up. This tells its own story. As the new Labour Yes campaign video shows.
If you want to join the progressive side of this battle for hearts and minds, why not get involved in tomorrow’s Labour Yes campaign event with Ben Bradshaw MP and young activists from across London and making the case for change?
Time
Tuesday, March 1 • 5.30 – 9pm
________________________________________
Location
Yes! To Fairer Votes Campaign Office, King’s Cross
6 Cynthia Street
N1 9JF
I think for Labour the Alternative Vote is one of those put your money where your mouth is issues. Labour stand for progress. Labour stands for transfering power from the few to the many. Labour has a history of campaigning for electoral reform, for the franchise to be extended to ordinary people. One of the great advantages of the Alternative Vote system is that does transfer power to ordinary people, at the expense of the Westminster elite. For Labour to look and sound credible when it talks to voters on the doorstep about listening to their concerns and wanting them to have more power over their own lives then Labour must be willing to give more power to the people. http://fairervotesedinburgh.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/the-advantages-of-the-alternative-vote-system-an-overview/ There are other advantages that flow from the Alternative Vote and Labour, with a history of progressive reform in all aspects of the UK politics can best show that it is the most worthy Party to be lent the power of people to do good on their behalf, by backing the Yes to Fairer Votes and Labour Yes campaigns.
This polling evidence by ICM which is reflected in England, Scotland and Wales show the benefits of Labour leadership and individual candidates in council and Assembly elections of backing the Labour Yes and the cross party Yes to Fairer Votes Campaign for the Referendum on May 5th. This Referendum is a huge opportunity for Labour to show that it has moved away from tribalism to a more plural future. This polling evidence shows the many opportunities of backing the campaign for the Labour Party as a whole. As the No Campaign is largely funded and run by Tory Party figures such as the Tax Payers Alliance’s Matthew Elliott, the lear losers of switching to AV are clear; the Conservative Party.
The Alternative Vote is a sensible & progressive reform to our long tired-out voting system that reflects a more pluralist approach to politics which Labour should be able to place themselves at the heart of. It would directly help to remedy the problems of the kind of overly-simplistic, negative tactical voting that is happening way too often under FPTP, & also the problem of “vote-splitting” when reasonably like-minded left-of-centre candidates run against each other in constituencies & then potentially leave the way open for the Conservative candidate to “steal in”, despite there being a majority of voters that didn’t support the winning right-wing candidate (I have seen this happen on at least 2 occassions in my local constituency, Warwickshire North). Labour, as the largest social democrat/ left-of-centre party should be able to benefit well from AV, is it would be the likeliest party to gain high-up preferences from those voters who give other left wing or left-leaning parties their 1st preference. Ultimately though, this much needed reform is about what’s best for voters in terms of giving them a more powerful vote & improving the representation of their electoral wishes; on both of these counts I believe FPTP is badly letting voters down.
It’s interesting to read this, other research has shown that Lib Dems backing AV also encourages people to vote for them. Clearly politicians backing electoral reform is a vote winner in general (unless you’re Nick Clegg).
We do not have a two party system in the UK. We have FPTP which works and is not the problem. What is the number of people voting; if there was compulsory voting then many would not assume it is unfair. AV is not needed and not wanted by the British people. They want to see Labour fighting the cuts and coming up with policy’s of what to do about them AV is nowhere on anyone’s list. Instead of Pro AV supporters insisting on changing the voting system they should campaign for compulsory voting. Labour will not be endorsing the Yes campaign or the No campaign, in fact it will be natural and no mention will appear in any election material at the local elections. I just see this whole referendum as a waste of time and distraction from the real issues facing people. The only winner to AV will be Nick Clegg and his Lib Dems. Are Labour people really saying they would prefer Nick Clegg always being king maker. It’s odd I thought the whole point for fighting for what you believe is to fight to win. Not half win and let somebody few vote for call the shots. How on earth is that fair? No thanks. NO 2 AV has my support and many others I know. Polls can never be trusted and Labour people know all too well that on the day the number of people who vote is not as high as the number who answer poll questions.