Commons approves AV referendum

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Who (generally) voted against (and for)?

As I recall, the vote was expected to be pretty much Everyone-against-the-Tories, and it looks like that's how it ended up. The LDs, SNP and Plaid all said that they didn't think Labour was actually committed to electoral reform but that they would support it on principle anyway. Not sure how the NI parties voted; on the one hand the DUP and the Tories are trying to play nice, but on the other hand, NI already uses STV, so the DUP can't really justify voting against AV for Westminster.

Afleitch is pretty much right about the implications of the switch to AV--would have destroyed the Tories in 1997, but might well destroy Labour if implemented for 2010. Certainly throws the "Labour are evil gerrymanderers and we have to stop AV because it will doom the Tories" Conservatives who are mobbing sites like PoliticalBetting right now. Especially because, if AV really would doom the Tories, surely it is just as much of a gerrymander to support maintaining the current system, which logically would have to have a huge in-built advantage for the Tories if AV, a system not by nature more biased, would destroy them.

Whatever. I'm not a huge fan of Instant Run-Off anyway. Labour are clearly making a disgusting political maneuver here, and the Tories are also making an unpleasant political maneuver (and also a stupid one; supporting AV would lose them nothing). And of course the Lib Dems' and Nats' support for any form of PR has always been at least a little bit self-interested.

[Verily]

Who (generally) voted against (and for)?

As I recall, the vote was expected to be pretty much Everyone-against-the-Tories, and it looks like that's how it ended up. The LDs, SNP and Plaid all said that they didn't think Labour was actually committed to electoral reform but that they would support it on principle anyway. Not sure how the NI parties voted; on the one hand the DUP and the Tories are trying to play nice, but on the other hand, NI already uses STV, so the DUP can't really justify voting against AV for Westminster.

Interesting that the Lib Dems have thrown their support behind a less proportional system of election. I've spent yeas studying politics but the Lib Dems are still an alien indecipherable babble at the best of times.

I'm not sure where you get that AV is less proportional, other than from some traditionalist talking box. More proportional, perhaps not, but not less proportional, either. Think 1997: If, in a constituency-based system, a majority in nearly every constituency opposed the Tories, surely the Tories should not win any of those seats. That looks like as much of a proportionality argument to me as the argument for FPTP. Also, the current Tory line seems to be that AV would let the BNP in--I wish we knew who planned to second-preference them!

Not defending AV, really. It's just certainly not worse than FPTP.

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AV? This the hilariously bad system used to elect the London Mayor?

Not quite. It would be true IRV, not the weird modified IRV that London and some other cities use to elect mayors.

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AV? This the hilariously bad system used to elect the London Mayor?

Not quite. It would be true IRV, not the weird modified IRV that London and some other cities use to elect mayors.

The tendency of that particular system to produce freak results has been a little unfortunate.

lolDoncaster. Yeah, I think that election permanently prevented LondonAV from being a system with serious support.

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Hansard Full Division Result

In terms of minor parties and independents:

For
SDLP
SNP
Plaid
Sylvia Hermon
George Galloway
Richard Taylor
Bob Spink

Against
DUP
Dai Davies

Any Tories in favor/Labour or LDs opposed?