Wednesday 27 April 2011

To AV or not AV ?

I've just taken the AV quiz on the Guardian website and apparently the conclusion drawn from my answers is:

You scored 52 out of a possible 85: A tactical voter or frustrated voter perhaps? You appear to want a different electoral system, and maybe the alternative vote is the one for you.

Obviously they don't have a method for computing a more accurate analysis of my motives:

You scored 52 out of a possible 85: A socialist who thinks that elections are as much about raising political consciousness as they are about the  actual result - regardless of which, the prospects of meaningful change are limited  so long as the system remains a capitalist one.  You want a different political system but regard dicking around with how we vote as nothing more than re-positioning deck chairs on the Titanic.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I voted for AV. On the basis that it removes the concept of the 'wasted vote' and allows a voter to support the candidate closest to what they stand for rather than the candidate you has the best chance of beating the one thye hate the most. this would have led to more support for left wing candidates whcih would have, in turn, helped to build confidence around socialist and other left ideas because more and more people would see that other people shared their views.

Journeyman said...

Yours is really the only valid argument in favour of AV - that it might (and I'm far from convinced) assist the 'take-off' of small Left parties by giving voters the confidence to vote for them. (Although not necessarily help them win elections - that's another far more questionable argument).

But the elephant in the corner that the AV camp does ignore is the political dis-enfranchisement of the working class. It's no good tweaking the mechanics if there's still no one to vote for who actually represents our interests.