Alternative Vote in the UK

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**Gorskar.da.Lost**

I couldn't help but notice both campaigns were somewhat lacking in quality.
We had the Yes chaps claiming that AV would have ended the Slave Trade sooner (or something equally unprovable and irrelevant) and the No campaigners actively lying to the populace. Hardly raises one's faith in politics, does it?

**Kilkrazy**

Very true.

Looking at the results overall, it seems that Tory voters blamed the Liberals, for being wet, while Labour and Liberal voters blamed the Liberals for teaming up with the Tories.

**biccat**

Kilkrazy wrote:The problem with the current system is that it can produce "elected dictatorships" when the vote split is like 37 / 32 / 23 / others, and the 23 and others get so few seats that they can't form an effective opposition with the 32.

Britain had a series of very strong governments during the past 30 who used their power to make some unstoppable mistakes.

That said, AV often produces results similar to FPTP, which neither the Yes nor the No sides made much mention of.

I don't see AV as a particularly good system, though, I see it as a stepping stone to some form of Proportional Representation.

I don't think there is any perfect voting system. The US system which uses FPTP, disperses power by holding lots of staggered elections, of course.

I suppose if you think that proportional representation is a good thing, then yeah, AV is a good step in that direction. I would disagree that it's a good idea, but that's probably because of my experience in a system that's significantly different from the parliamentary democracy of the UK.

The US system has advantages other than staggered elections that makes FPTP a viable and good system. Federalism, separation of powers at the federal level, and the ability for a split legislature (either internally or from the executive) help the system work.

But then again, I still think that the states are more than simply political subdivisions of the United States government.