Sunday, April 24, 2011

Letter on AV (responding to the Beckett and Barwell pose)


Dear Editor,

The Alternative Vote (AV) is a fairer electoral system than the current First Post The Post (FPTP) system. AV is preferable when there are several candidates. It forces candidates to appeal to 50% cent of the electorate and thus represent a wider cross section of views rather than just those of the usual party supporters. Hence, I found it bizarre to see Tory Gavin Barwell MP posing alongside former Labour cabinet member Margeret Beckett MP (Croydon Advertiser Friday 1st April) defending the FPTP voting system. The Labour Party uses AV to elect its leader and similarly, Conservatives use a form of AV to elect their leader. Which begs the question: if it's okay for you then why isn’t it okay for us? Historically, FPTP was reliable when this country had a two-party system, but we presently live in a multi-party democracy. One third of the electorate did not vote Conservative or Labour in the last general election.

Yours sincerely

Shasha Khan

Croydon Green Party




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