This just about sums up the 11th May 2010 for me:
According to the BBC Weather Centre, last night was the coldest May night since 1996, with temperatures dropping to -6C in the Scottish Highlands, -4C in Wales and 0C in London.
Basically - I'm simply afraid this programme for Government just doesn't fill me with much hope for those many people who need most help from the state ...
... and even on the 'constitutional reform' front, I'm increasingly at a loss to understand why the Libs have signed up? The Tories will pass the bill for an AV referendum and then use every ounce of state-muscle to set it up for failure :-(
P.S. One minor, but potentially important, point that seems to have passed without much comment is that the next UK General Election will be on Thursday 7th May 2015 - same day as the next, but one, Scottish Parliament elections ... I can see that causing all sorts of political machinations?
4 comments:
The Lib Dem capitulation over PR is very disappointing. I think this was the best chance we had of introducing a proportional voting system but now the debate will buried in the long grass.
A sad day for democracy.
Jamie
I agree entirely - yet, almost all of my Lib-Dem contacts think its great that they've secured a guarantee of a referendum on AV ??
... they seem incapable of realising that when (if?) the referendum comes, the full force of the Tory Government machine will be campaigning for a no-vote :-(
Andrew
"yet, almost all of my Lib-Dem contacts think its great that they've secured a guarantee of a referendum on AV ??"
??????? exactly.
Anonymous
Thanks for the comment ... sorry if I was being oblique!
My point is that whilst I'll campaign and vote YES in any AV-referendum, it's not a proportional electoral system and could actually produce less-proportional results than FPTP.
It will though introduce preferential voting to Westminster elections, but the evidence from Australia suggests it won't, as of itself, automatically lead to a more pluralist politics?
And my point about the Tory-Govt. machine campaigning for a NO vote remains ... although, I would genuinely love to be wrong and hope they may see the light before then ;-)
Andrew
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