Referendum Plus

This series takes us from the day when the date for the AV referendum was leaked to the press (July 2, 2010), through the No and Yes! campaigns with their bottom-up passion and energy, to the emergence of the Purple People, the frantic last weeks and the resounding No vote, and finally to the reflections - many bitter and frustrated - on the management and co-ordination of a lost chance for democratic reform. 

Arguably the AV referendum has killed British interest in electoral reform at least for a generation. It turned many more away from the pursuit of political reform via Westminster, accelerating an already current trend. The rejection, and the argument that the referendum terms already predicated defeat, forced the Liberal Democrats to examine their purpose and role as junior partners in the Coalition. With global perspectives, incisive analysis, historical overviews, striking personal testament and intimate reflection, the series takes the reader through the ups and downs of what was Britain's first chance since 1997 to significantly change the system by which the UK elects its representatives. 

See the short series Britain after 5 May for immediate reaction to the referendum vote. 

 

The AV referendum disaster: here's how the 'Yes' money was spent

Julian Todd 1 December 2011
The 'Yes' campaign for the Alternative Vote was disastrously mismanaged. Here is a first look at where the money went.

A Lib Dem view of the AV referendum disaster

James Graham 17 June 2011
Another account of the Yes to AV referendum campaign calls for lessons to be learned. Will they be?

The AV debacle, the waste of nearly £2M and the Rowntree Reform Trust

Anthony Barnett 17 May 2011
The Yes to AV referendum campaign was a fiasco. Supporters of reform - activists, funders and voters - deserve an explanation. A public enquiry should be launched by JRRT, who took a leading role both in funding and organising the failed campaign

From the expenses scandal to AV: the end of a political cycle and how to move on

Nick Pearce 5 May 2011
The expenses scandal brought forth various demands for political reform. The AV referendum can be seen as the end of this political cycle. Even if electoral reform is now off the agenda, progressives should reflect on this experience, and begin a new push for change

Whatever the result, the AV referendum won't end the struggle for electoral reform

Stuart Wilks-Heeg 5 May 2011
Today's referendum on AV is the culmination of a long campaign for change. Yet, AV is not a form of proportional representation and is not a system which reformers have previously called for. Whatever the referendum result, it will not end the campaign for electoral reform in the UK

The final Yes rally had a winning spirit, but will Britain vote for AV tomorrow?

Anthony Barnett 4 May 2011
The Yes campaign's final rally last night showed spirit, energy and intellect. While Eddie Izzard may have been the 'headline act', an unexpected address from Ed Miliband almost stole the show, along with Armando Iannucci's wise witticisms. Let's hope the opinion polls are overturned tomorrow!

Intelligence Squared AV debate

Niki Seth-Smith 3 May 2011
On 26th April, Intelligence Squared staged a preliminary debate with the motion 'Vote for AV'. Here, OurKingdom publishes a video of the debate highlights.

Is AV the last hope for British democracy?

Ivor Cornish 3 May 2011
If the Prime Minister has his way, British civil society will soon be almost entirely at the mercy of the market. With the contracts signed, our democratic options will be drastically limited. A referendum on the Alternative Voting system may already be too little, too late.

The strange world of the AV campaign, and why it must be a Yes

Oliver Huitson 1 May 2011
It has been said that AV would be a “beautiful British compromise”. But for its combination of madness, naked lies and bile, the campaign surrounding it has seemed distinctly American. The Yes side, on which I sit, has been slightly dull. The Noes have been fascinating, not only for their outrageous campaigning methods, but for their surreal patchwork of supporters.

What if the Referendum is a 'No'

Matt Wootton 29 April 2011
A Green laments the likely defeat of the AV referendum

Vote 'Yes' for a change

Anthony Barnett 27 April 2011
At a London debate the argument for changing Britain's voting system was narrowly voted down and OurKingdom's Co-Editor was on the losing side. What he said was drawn from this long draft.

Nick Clegg scores an own goal for the Yes to AV campaign

Niki Seth-Smith 22 April 2011
Branded as too toxic for the Yes campaign, Nick Clegg had long been quiet on AV, until yesterday's speech at IPPR. Despite arguing that the referendum should transcend party politics, the Deputy Prime-Minister proceeded to play into the hands of the No campaign by defending the Coalition and his role in it

AV is suited to the modern British voter

Guy Lodge 20 April 2011
The Alternative Voting system is best suited to modern Britain, says a new IPPR report. Voters today are less tribal, and want more choice. AV gives voters today the flexibility to express themselves in a way denied them by the current FPTP system

Under AV, Nick Clegg's position is the future of British politics

Anthony Painter 19 April 2011
The Alternative Vote will not deliver more pluralism in British politics. Political competition will still converge around a median, it's just that the position of the median will change to something like Orange-book liberalism. Choose AV, and British politics will converge around Nick Clegg's position AV, like FPTP, is incompatible with Britain's pluralist society AV is not a distant but pluralist relative of FPTP. They are twins

Democracy by machines or morals? Why the AV referendum matters to the Left

Neal Lawson 15 April 2011
The future of the centre left in Britain is dependent on the AV referendum result. A Yes vote would open the doors to a new politics, fit for a fluid, decentralised world. This is Labour's opportunity to shake off a deadly, elitist culture and embrace pluralism, dialogue and democracy

Restating Scotland

Restating Scotland

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OurNHS

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Democratic Wealth

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Thatcher's legacy

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G4S: securing whose world?

G4S - securing whose world? Image of security camera focused on G4S

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Re-birth of the nation?

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Devalue or Else!

Roj, Flickr

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Can Europe Make It?

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