Like many former Liberals of a certain vintage, I was wooed to the cause of electoral reform by the diminutive but formidable figure of Enid Lakeman, who even at an advanced age could spear opponents with her logic and conviction. I wish she were around today to add her appraisal of whether Gordon Brown’s referendum on AV is a step forwards or a step backwards in the long march to Fair Votes. As virtually everyone seems to be talking about ‘fairness’ these days, surely it is time that LibDems seized the moment and trumpeted our belief in STV? Moreover, we should make use of new media, not least social networking, to get our message over. That was the core theme of my address to the AGM of the LibDem electoral pressure group DAGGER at the party headquarters at Cowley Street last...

I was reading a blogpost today by Labour MP Tom Harris, who I am inclined to like purely because I confuse him with Labour MP Tom Watson. In it, Harris decries the Liberal Democrats’ proposals for electoral reform. Electoral reform looks to be coming, and it’s long past time. The current First Past The Post system magnifies majorities — any party winning 51% of the vote in every constituency will have 100% of the Parliamentary seats. (A cynic would think that this is why incumbent governments have been so far unwilling to change it.) In the last election, for example, the Liberal Democrats got 22% of the popular vote, but 18% of MPs, whereas Labour got 35% of the vote and 41% of MPs. A common proposed solution is Proportional Representation (PR), which is what happened at...

Welcome to this morning’s Daily View.  I am sure I cannot be the only person to be cheered by waking to the news that the Conservatives believe that their no. 1 electoral weapon is George Osborne. On this day 60 years ago, United States Senator Joe McCarthy launched his anti-communist crusade, with a speech accusing more than 200 staff in the State Department of being members of the Communist Party.  On 9thFebruary 1979, England and Birmingham City forward Trevor Francis signed for Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest for £1 million, the first UK footballer to move for a seven figure sum. Today is also the third anniversary of the death of actor Ian Richardson CBE, best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Conservative politician Francis Urquhart in the wonderful House of...

A news release from the party reports: The Liberal Democrats have tabled amendments to the Government’s proposals for a referendum on electoral reform that would: Offer voters a real choice between first-past-the-post and a truly proportional system (Single Transferable Vote), rather than AV Bring forward the date of the referendum to next May Close a loophole allowing the next Government to kill the proposals without an Act of Parliament Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Howarth said: “Voters deserve a real choice – between the discredited status quo and a system where every vote matters and there are no safe seats. “The Alternative Vote system is a very small step in the right direction, but it is not proportional and it does not give voters enough...

James Graham gives Comment is Free the benefit of his views on Gordon Brown’s electoral reform fudge: AV is the perfect electoral system for Gordon Brown. It enables him to look in two directions at once: supporting a system which ensures that fewer votes are wasted while being resolutely non-proportional. Superficially it sounds like a big deal, but in most elections it will probably only change the result in a handful of seats. And, like all Gordon Brown policies, it has a fair chance of blowing up in his face; because of AV’s habit of exaggerating swings, the system is as liable to decimate the Labour party as much as the...

Wondering what I think of Labour’s plans for a referendum on electoral reform? Well wonder no longer! The alternative vote is a small but significant step forward in the ongoing campaign for a fair electoral system fit for the 21st century. On a good day. Maybe. … If Brown’s system of choice bores campaigners, what hope is there of inspiring the public? Everything in the middle can be found...

Well, as deathbed conversions go, the sincerity of Labour's move to promote electoral reform is a pretty cynical exercise. Even David Cameron was able to mock at today's Prime Minister's Question Time.I think as Liberal Democrats we can hold ourselves back from the not-particularly-appetising morsel of AV- which is not necessarily fairer than First-Past-the-Post, and is anyway considerably more closed, since it relies on Party lists.A Single Transferable Vote (STV) in multi-member constituencies is what the Lib Dems want: since it retains constituency links, is not reliant on lists, allows non party figures to be elected and allows the voters to chose between candidates of the same party, rather than having party hacks foisted on them willy-nilly. It is the fairest and most open electoral...

BBC News, 2nd February 2010: Britain’s “first past the post” voting system could be scrapped if Labour wins the general election, under plans which have been outlined by Gordon Brown. The prime minister wants a referendum on changing to an “alternative vote” system, where candidates are ranked in order of voters’ preference. MPs will vote next week on holding a referendum after the general election. Daily Telegraph, 20th January 2010: Gordon Brown has given his strongest backing to election reform which would ensure that MPs received the backing of at least half of local voters.  …During Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Brown dropped a strong hint that if a referendum was held, he would campaign in favour of the alternative vote system,...

It’s not very often electoral reform tops the news headlines – which is probably no bad thing. As yesterday was one of those rare occasions, let’s see what was being said – Lib Dem bloggers had some differences of opinion: The Futility Monster took the subtle, understated approach with the headline “Stick Your AV Up Your Arse” The problem is that this is purely a gimmick, done purely to ask questions of the Lib Dems. Brown has no history of interest in electoral reform, LibCync, on the other hand, was more positive: I can’t believe anyone can seriously suggest that we shouldn’t support this. Mark Thompson ploughed a more middling furrow: I, like many Lib Dems I suspect, have very mixed feelings about it. Simon T. Kaye swings in with his PhD...

Lets face it, we have a strong armada of disaffected people who are angry with us and, quite fairly, ask why we deserve another chance!Well aside from the simple answer; "Cos the Tories will be worse!", I think we should be bold in equally assessing publicly our failures and successes. If we hide our failures then we insult the electorate who can see them, if we hide our successes we not only let ourselves down, but also those vulnerable members of society who have much benefited from the last thirteen years.So here it is, an assessment of where Labour is:1/ Lessons the Labour Party has learned from its mistakes in the last years of governmentFirst of all we have screwed up on Iraq. Big time! Esp on matters of trust. We also were too timid in putting forward strong Social Democratic...

As Brown proposes AV to gain electoral advantage, the Conservatives have the real debate over the choicesSo Brown wants electoral reform with the alternative voting system (AV). But let's have the debate first. We Tories have nothing to fear from electoral reform – just don't call it PR (proportional representation), as that is a red rag to a bull.The debate on electoral reform is being had across our party, with MEP Dan Hannan and MP Douglas Carswell, for instance, promoting multi-member constituencies for more accountability, representation and end to "safe" seats. Conservative Action for Electoral Reform goes further, and calls for open primaries for all sitting MPs and PPCs, so that not just the Conservative party "selectorate" get to choose their candidate , but the voters can...

What reform and how can we achieve it? These are questions which have been asked on this blog repeatedly when it comes to demands for changing the means of electing our representatives. So what impact will be had by Gordon Brown’s announcement that Labour intend to pursue primary legislation before the General Election ensuring a referendum on the Additional Vote system? Short term electoral advantage seems to be the order of the day, with a sop to the Lib-Dems and a potential wedge between a Tory minority government and a potential Lib-Dem coalition. Overall, like Sunny, I doubt it will have much effect, though for different reasons. There are good and bad things to be said about most of the proposed systems, but no application of any of them anywhere in the world has been shown to...

Welcoming the news that MPs will be asked to debate an amendment to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill to enable a referendum to be held on changing the electoral system to the Alternative Vote, director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said:  "We welcome the fact that the government has, at last, come off the fence on this issue.  A manifesto commitment to a referendum on electoral reform without legislation to back it up would have been an empty gesture, especially given Labour's track record in reneging on such pledges in the past.  We regret however that the system on offer has been handpicked by ministers rather than as a result of a deliberative process involving the public and we are concerned that they have not left themselves with enough time to ensure this Bill...

Promise of referendum on alternative vote system may divide Labour and embarrass ToriesGordon Brown will today announce legislation guaranteeing a referendum on voting reform. In a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank the prime minister will announce plans to ensure those elected to parliament in future will arrive with the support of over 50% of voters, one method of cleaning up politics just days before public anger over expenses abuse is likely to be revived. On Thursday, a definitive report is expected to show that nearly half of all MPs have made improper claims.News of a referendum on electoral reform emerged along with action to clamp down on MPs and peers sitting in parliament who do not pay tax in the UK. The government is poised to pass legislation...

IT’S A BIT TOO LATE FOR LABOUR TO GO FOR ELECTORAL REFORMPaul Anderson, Tribune column, 22 January 2010Reforming the voting system is an anorak thing most of the time – but every now and again it breaks out of the closet, as it has in the past few months.A year ago, electoral reform was barely on the agenda. Labour had won three elections in a row promising a referendum on the way we vote for...

John Rentoul’s column in today’s Independent is worth reading. Its eye catching headline questions the Conservatives’ reputation as ‘the stupid party’, suggesting that Tories’ calm approach to electoral reform suggests a long-term mentality. In contrast, Labour’s 1980s enthusiasm for tweaking the voting system has been rekindled, just as the party prepares for another prolonged spell in opposition. Rentoul is implying that the government’s attitude to the issue is purely reactive. During the vast majority of its years in power the Labour party has been satisfied with an arrangement which worked in its favour. Now that defeat is imminent, and Liberal Democrats’ support is sought, Gordon Brown has thrown his weight behind a shift to Alternative Vote. In contrast,...

The move by Labour to legislate for a referendum on electoral reform will throw some interesting light on the position of the dinosaur "socialist" brethren in Labour's ranks who share the Tory horror at changes to the voting system.In strong Labour areas, such as the North East (admittedly Labour are not as strong as they used to be), the tendency amongst Labour members is to support the...

Compass, the left-leaning pressure group, has launched a campaign for a referendum on proportional representation. Music to the Lib Dems’ ears? Lib Dem Voice’s own Stephen Tall explains today at Comment is Free why it’s not something we’ll be supporting as a party, this side of the General Election: Labour has had 12 years in which to renew the democratic fabric of this country. They failed to do anything about it because, quite simply, they didn’t care enough about it. If they care now, it is only because it’s expedient to; and expediency is the worst possible motive for reform. Stephen argues that the Liberal Democrats would not support a campaign as “nakedly self-serving” as this, pitched as it is at saving Labour seats. He also says that...

Check out my latest post on Labourhome, stating why we should not let fear of the BNP affect our views on electoral...

An article over at Third Estate highlights quite succinctly the essentially liberal programme for reform and defeating the reactionary agenda of whatever government is elected. That this article lacks any kind of critique of capitalism, or the ruling class programme of change which is coming to dominate our political system, is its key weakness. This is, in a nutshell, the reason for my opposition to such groups – not merely that they are not socialist, but because they are distracting from the real business of the moment. When the author of the article declares that electoral reform must be our first priority and that everything else can wait, he is shockingly wrong. The pickets of the CWU will not wait, waiting will give the government the confidence to attack other unions –...

Green groups such as Greenpeace could benefit if open primaries were used to select candidatesThe Greenpeace activists occupying the roof of the Houses of Parliament are calling for a "new style of politics in Britain, one capable of rising to meet the challenge of climate change". But instead should they be calling for electoral reform to save the climate?Greenpeace has put up banners saying "change the politics, save the climate". But it is the scandal around expenses that will be uppermost in MPs minds on their first day back, not the climate. However, the fallout from the row could yet produce a future intake of politicians who put the needs of the planet above loyalty to party.If the scores of candidates who are likely to replace departing MPs are selected not by their constituency...

According to the Guardian, the Prime Minister will campaign “passionately” in favour of a move to the alternative vote system if a referendum on electoral reform goes ahead. They report on an interview last night in which Mr Brown committed the party to back this system because he believes that it is fairer than the “first-past-the-post” system currently in use. Asked whether he “passionately” believed in and would be “urging people to vote for” the electoral reform, Mr Brown replied: “Yes I will”.Maybe it is because I am a Liberal Democrat that I find this so bizarre. In actual fact the Alternative Vote system barely registers as a fairer system than the one that we are using currently. It actively reinforces the position of the bigger parties and produces a...

A couple of weeks ago, Lib Dem Voice invited the members of our private forum (open to all Lib Dem members) to take part in a survey, conducted via Liberty Research, asking a number of questions about the party and the current state of British politics. Many thanks to the c.250 of you who completed it; we’ve been publishing the results on LDV over the last few days. You can catch up on the results of our exclusive LDV members’ surveys by clicking here. Yesterday, we looked at how Lib Dem members would respond in the event of a hung Parliament, assuming electoral reform was on the agenda. Today we’re looking at just how important you think electoral reform is, and which of the other two main parties you think are most sympathetic to the idea of electoral reform. LDV asked: In the...

I'd be in favour of a referendum on electoral reform. My reasons are straightforward. The voting system in place in this country isn't defensible; and some such initiative to determine whether there would be a democratic mandate for change is overdue. I'm less bothered about the how and the precisely-when of it. But one thing I am sceptical of is this:Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said at the weekend that he believes the government should not rush ahead with staging a referendum because public antipathy to Brown would ensure the proposal was rejected.The electorate should be credited with the intelligence to distinguish between a vote about the issue of electoral reform and a vote for Gordon Brown....

• Pressure mounting on Brown to delay proposal• Clegg says antipathy to PM would ensure rejectionSenior cabinet ministers will step up the pressure on the prime minister this week to rule out holding a referendum on electoral reform on the same day as the general election, because they believe it would set back the case for reform for a generation.Some in the cabinet believe asking the country to look at fundamental changes on the same day as a contest to elect the next government would be costly, diversionary and divisive for Labour.Brown is due to chair a meeting of his national democratic renewal council this week, with opinion sharply divided on how to proceed.Some senior advisers inside Downing Street back the proposals, as do many cabinet ministers, but figures such as Ed Balls,...

I think it's time that we forgot about electoral reform before the general election, as a party the Lib Dems should put it to one side and focus on something else e.g. expenses, representation and anything else except for electoral reform.Mandelson needs to stop making speeches on it and everyone needs to kill the idea of a change of voting system as this moment in time. Everyone knows that the next general election might bring up some interesting results, so why don't we wait for them before changing the whole system?I am a massive fan of proportional representation but the problem is that at this time in politics we need a strong government. We need leadership, something which the Tories can't give to the people, never the less unless we forget about electoral reform we can't have...

Following his speech to the Progress conference earlier today, Peter Mandelson answered a question about electoral reform. After defending the existing system, he went on to say: Now, does that mean to say that there is no change that could be made in our voting system in our country so that people really feel that it’s fairer and more representative? No,I don’t think we should reject contemplating any sort of change and I think that’s something that we’re going to have to address in the coming months. Hat-tip: Left Foot...

Well done Mark Pack for highlighting an extraordinary series of facts about our cranky old electoral system. 29% of seats haven't changed hands since 1945. Half of the seats in England haven't changed hands since 1970. When you add this to the research by Mark Thompson (that showed that MPs in the safest seats were three times more likely to be involved in expenses scandals than those in the least safest seats) we are starting to get good solid evidence to support electoral...

Only STV can make MPs really accountable to voters on their expenses claims and local issues, or major decisions on war and peace, the environment and the economy – indeed all issues. Only STV offers voters a genuine choice of candidates from the same and different parties, which must be essential for anyone who believes in freedom, choice and freedom of choice. The current scandal of MPs’ expenses and allowances has triggered a popular demand for reform and some people think that proportional representation (PR) should be an important part of a reform package. PR has many advantages; it would for example: Produce a House of Commons that broadly mirrored the political views of voters Make it much harder for one party to have a majority in the House despite only a minority in the...

I'm sure the tabloids will applaud David Cameron for cutting his plans to cut ministerial salaries and raise the price of a pint in the Commons. But anyone who seriously cares about our democracy must worry about his selfless plans to entrench a Tory government by cutting the number of MPs from 645 to 585 and neutering the independent body charged with policing political shenanigans.If he were seriously concerned about making politics more relevant, he would embrace electoral reform. But then, as with his tabloid-friendly humiliation of one of the more human characters on his front bench, this isn't about serious reform. It is just about making Cameron look good for a day's headlines. But he will soon find that a good day's headlines today can be a big headache tomorrow, especially if he...