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Cameron isn't credible PM material, the knowledge of him representing the United Kingdom on the world stage fills me with horror.


Even the Yanks, our most important strategic partner (as opposed to the EU as economic partner) think that Cameron is too lightweight to bother about.


I can't think of a better electoral reform than AV.


PR breaks the link with the electorate and puts the party elite back in charge of selecting representation instead of the people. This destroys accountability and we're back into the jobs for life mire.


STV is always going to be 'too complicated' if people find AV too complicated.

I too hope that electoral reform will return to the political stage, perhaps in a couple of elections' time. There would seem to be enough groundswell that it just doesn't feel likely that it will go away for "a generation", as people have said.


Huguenot, when I was at university we elected people using what we called STV, but from wha I remember seemed very much like AV. Could you very kindly explain the difference?


I think I'd prefer AV to PR, possibly because I don't understand how with PR you would allocate local MPs.

Moos Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I too hope that electoral reform will return to

> the political stage, perhaps in a couple of

> elections' time. There would seem to be enough

> groundswell that it just doesn't feel likely that

> it will go away for "a generation", as people have

> said.


I consider a generation as 20-25 years. I reckon that will be about right.


>

> Huguenot, when I was at university we elected

> people using what we called STV, but from wha I

> remember seemed very much like AV. Could you very

> kindly explain the difference?


Hmmm. Not just me then. I always thought AV was also called STV, but it seems that STV is now considered PR with preferences. That is, you number your candidates like AV, but seats are doled out on a PR basis. The count system is based on achieving a quota of votes, but of course the distribution of preferences is a lot more complex. If people found AV too complex, frankly ATV or PR will just hurt people's brains.

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