Labour Yes

Today’s YouGov poll for the IPPR think-tank shows a striking lead for the Yes campaign once people have experienced how the Alternative Vote works in practice : 58% for and 42% against (excluding “don’t knows” and “not voting”). The poll was based on a 2,000 vote sample which gives added credence to its findings. Read the rest of this entry »

Nick Griffin and the BNP are campaigning for a No vote in the coming referendum because they know the Alternative Vote will “hurt them”.

Today campaigners led by Billy Bragg and Simon Woolley, head of Operation Black Vote, launched a national ad campaign with one simple message – Say No to the BNP – Say Yes on May 5^th

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This piece originally appeared on Labour List in response to Anthony Painter

Historically, First Past the Post has benefited the Conservatives; the 20th century was dominated by majority Tory governments elected with the support of only a minority. Splits in the vote have been profoundly damaging to the electoral fortunes of progressives. So at every general election for which data exists on second preferences (since 1992), psephologists suggest that Labour would have benefited from the Alternative Vote. Read the rest of this entry »

Labour Yes volunteers hit the streets of Exeter, where they joined a Yes to Fairer votes stall. It was a beautiful day and many people stopped by to discuss the referendum.

Ben Bradshaw MP also came to add his support and had some lively debates with local Labour members. It was great to see so many people interested by the issue at stake and so many enthusiastic Yes voters!

Finally, after much stalling, hedging and attempting to bury the evidence, the NO camp’s dirty little secret is out in the open. The campaign in defence in the political status quo is funded by the supporters of the Conservative Party, investment bankers, hedge-fund managers, corporate tax avoiders, venture capitalists: exactly the kind of organisations who fear that a more equal, more democratic Britain would hit them in their bulging wallets. Read the rest of this entry »

Labour YES has today published a new campaign leaflet which shows that the only winners from a NO vote on May 5^th will be David Cameron and the Tories. Read the rest of this entry »

In the latest of an increasinly desperate series of misleading claims about what the introduction of AV would mean, NO2AV today issued a press release claiming it would lead to an increase in spoilt ballots.

This is what the Political Studies Association report by Dr. Alan Renwick has to say on the subject:

AV has no clear effect on the number of spoilt ballots

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The NO2AV campaign - run by Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) Chief Executive Matthew Elliott – has been spending thousands on an advertising campaign which ludicrously suggests that AV would take money off public services and endanger the lives of premature babies and the armed services.

How strange then that their good friends in the TPA are organising a rally to highlight “the need for substantial spending cuts”! Read the rest of this entry »

On the evidence of last night’s fantastic Yestival event at which over 150 people came along to support the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign, Birmingham is one funky city.

Labour MP Richard Burden was amongst those speakers sharing a stage with funk outfit 360 who will be appearing at Glastonbury later in the year. Congratulations to everyone who made the event such a success.

It’s a pleasure to be here at this cross-party Yes2AV campaign event having launched the Labour Yes To AV campaign.

The support of people from different parties is essential for the yes campaign, but the important thing is why we’ve all decided to put aside our differences to back this cause.

We’re here because a Yes vote on May the Fifth will be good for voters and good for our democracy.

The case for AV is a case for political change.

If people are happy with politics as usual, then they can vote NO.

But if not, they should vote Yes because AV is a step in the right direction for changing politics as usual. Read the rest of this entry »