Paddy Ashdown narrates two minute video explaining benefits of AV

Hat tip to LibDemVoice.

Comments

[Clement]

I see marginal seats are mentioned half way through. Shame under AV there will still be safe seats, and also marginal seats.

[Chad Noble (ex ToryBlog.com)]

"AV there will still be safe seats"

Yes, but the number of them will be reduced, as confirmed by the no2av-endorsed PSA report.

AV is a small step for the better not the answer to all ills.

[Denis Cooper]

MPs think that AV is a sound electoral system when they're electing Select Committee chairmen:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/executive/briefing-note-ballot-select-committee-chairs.pdf

And peers think that AV is a sound electoral system when they're electing their Lord Speaker:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/SpeakershipElectionResult.pdf

and when a group of hereditary peers in the Lords are electing a replacement after one of their number has died:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-information-office/holbynotice10052011.pdf

But when it's suggested that the same system of AV could be used by the people when electing their MPs, suddenly MPs and ex-MPs in the Lords discover that it's fundamentally flawed, destroys the core democratic principle of "one person one vote", was roundly condemned by Churchill, etc etc etc.

What a bunch of hypocritical liars.

[Chad Noble (ex ToryBlog.com)]

Obama mentions AV whilst discussing the killing of Bin Laden

http://goo.gl/h0v9j

[Ed Moran]

Just whwn "Yes to AV" was hoping for a few quite news days to help their final push OBL gets slotted.

Ah! Well.

[Tim Montgomerie]

:-)

[robert]

What has Paddy Ashdown ever done for this country?
What was his greatest achievement as an MP and leader of the Liberal Democrats?
Answer - nothing and none.
He gets involved in lost causes like AV that will give more power to the politicians rather than the electorate and will destroy the democracy of our country for many years to come.
FPTP = One person, one vote, one winner.
Say NO2AV.

[Richiedaw]

Paddy Ashdown has a been a fine servant to this Country as a Soldier,Diplomat and Party Leader.Not only that he played a very successful role as UN High Representative in Bosnia.

[Peter Lloyd]

Nothing can match the calculated deceit and negativity of the NO2AV campaign which permanently shames the Conservative Party, but focusing the Yes campaign benefits on MPs working harder and the impact on the BNP shows up the paucity of its argument when there are many more positive reasons to support the introduction of the AV system. The majority of MPs already work very hard and the BNP effect is very minor, although it is fair to say it is much less likely to gain a seat under AV. In the end it is quite possible that AV will help the Conservatives, and show that Lib Dem support under first past the post was either a protest vote or a tactical vote and that their support was shallow. An AV system would most likely show this up.