Time to come out!

For all my adult life I've been voting Liberal (more recently Liberal Democrat).  In the first place I did so because I couldn't stand the constant one-against-the-other of the two main parties, and gradually I appreciated what appeared to be a realistic, 'can't please everyone all the time' attitude of the third party.  My stance was reinforced at some point when my father referred to his own father (long since dead) as having "always spoken well of 'the Little Welshman' (i.e. David Lloyd George); without him we'd never have got through the first war!"

Consequently, I had always been 'on the losing side' when it came to politics and my reactions underwent a sea change after last year's general election and the formation of a coalition that involved the Liberal Democrats.  Because one of the major planks of their policies that I've favoured is the reform of the electoral system, I again found myself on the losing side when the result of last week's referendum was declared.  Despite my political history, I was amazed just what a shock this was to me, and since hearing the result, I've been reconsidering my position.  I realise that I'd voted for AV - possibly like thousands of others - because it was what was on offer, rather than because I felt it was the best replacement for the existing system.  I recall Mr. Clegg's comment before the general election that it was a compromise, and now I come to think of it, I can't clearly see that it would have affected the outcome of future elections to a really great extent. 

I've been looking at the proportional system in use for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly which involve electors casting two votes, one for their constituency and the other for the regional lists.  This 'Additional Member' system seems very complex, and provides for at least some seats to be held by Members who have no direct constituency link.  I suppose this 'unattached' quality is a reflection of the status of the House of Lords, and in a single-chamber assembly these regional Members may fulfil a somewhat similar role.

The PR system that I prefer is the one used both for the Northern Ireland Assembly and in the Republic of Ireland.  This is a Single Transferable Vote within Multi-Member Constituencies.  At the user-end the appearance to the voter is the same as we've heard about AV - we would rank candidates according to preference.  The difference is that with each constituency electing several candidates (in Northern Ireland each of the 18 constituencies elect 6 Members to the Assembly), each constituency is represented by Members from more than one party (in Northern Ireland the average is 3.6 parties).  This must mean that there remain few individuals who can claim no elected representative who shares their point of view, no one who can speak for them with understanding and sympathy.  At the same time, each Member of the Assembly is directly linked to the constituency that elected him/her.

Given that the whole matter has been effectively kicked into the long grass for many years to come, what I say now will have little or no effect, but it's good to get it off my chest.  Now back to the steering wheel!