It’s the Election Stupid!

What’s with the sudden attraction and why now you might ask? Regardless of how hard Mr. Brown pretends that his intentions are honorable and he is basing his sudden approval of the Alternative Vote System (AV) purely on the welfare of the country and the betterment of parliament, everybody will think ‘Its the Election Stupid’. Pushing for the AV system so close to an election when it’s been documented that he has opposed it in the past, does not do him any favors. But election time brings out the worst of some politicians and this will not the last daft idea we see this side of the election.

Looking at the evidence, AV on paper might sound like a fairer system – a list of candidates on the ballot paper and voters instead of the traditional X get to rank the candidates in order of preference – but in reality unless your first choice gets 50% of the votes in the first round, with this system you might very will end up wasting your vote or worst support someone you don’t want to get in, it also indirectly punishes natural and free minded supporters.

So why is Mr. Brown pushing for the AV system, and why now even though it will not affect the outcome of this election? Particularly as there are so many other obvious ways by which he can bring in new and more immediate reforms, such as – putting in place a recall system, cutting the number of MPs, reducing the number of ministers – to show that he is a reformer in-touch with the public mood.

If we put AV to the test based on the 2005 election Labour and the LibDems will respectively gain 8 and 9 seats each but the Conservatives would have lost 15 seats. That’s where the true attraction for Brown lays. Accordingly, AV will not only guarantee him a larger majority it will also put him in favor with the LibDems in case of a hung parliament – despite all their self important rhetoric they will be mad to turn him down if he asked them to form a coalition – how else will they ever govern – and he knows it!

Brown can try all he can but this one he can’t wiggle out off by pretending his motives are honorable, they are anything but that.