No: The AV X-factor which could change forever the face of British politics

Anyone who cares about democracy in this country should make sure they vote “No” in the referendum next month. The Alternative Vote (AV) would be a big step backwards because it would take power away from the people. The very way Britain is governed is at stake.

The joy of our current voting system for the House of Commons is that it allows people to wave goodbye to a Government they have had enough of and install another one in its place. The British don’t need to riot on the streets. The people are equipped with the weapon they need, their ballot papers. They know that they are the boss. They can kick out a Prime Minister and choose a new one.

We should be clear what is at stake here. We are talking about government. AV does have its uses. Indeed, I was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under the system. But it is horses for courses, and AV should play no part in national elections.

AV would change the dynamic of British politics in an awful way, because it would make hung Parliaments far more likely. That would mean the death of party manifestos and the democratic mandate. Once elected, politicians would be free to ignore their own promises in the name of brokering a coalition agreement. In 1997, Labour got into government and stayed there because it delivered on its pledges.

The Lib Dems got into government by breaking theirs. Did you vote for student tuition fees in England to be trebled? Did you vote for VAT to be increased to 20 per cent? Did you vote for a dangerous restructuring of the NHS? Of course you didn’t, because nobody did.

I enjoyed the joke that when someone called the Lib Dem headquarters to buy a copy of their manifesto they were told “sorry we have sold out” and the caller said “I know, but can I buy a copy of your manifesto please?”

Trust should be important in politics. I still keep a copy of the Labour pledge card and am never afraid to show it because I am proud that we delivered on our promises. I don’t want an election system that lets politicians get away with making empty promises.

AV is the system the world has rejected. Once you move beyond Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Australia you’ll find it isn’t used anywhere. In Australia, turnout dropped dramatically after its introduction, leading to voting being made compulsory. And to be in government now the Australian Labour Party had to secure deals with the Greens. It’s crazy that independents should wield power far in excess of their electoral support.

There’s no doubt AV is a step towards proportional representation, and look how great that is. In Germany, the third-placed Free Democrats called all the shots by switching support from the Social Democrats to the Christian Democrats. And next door, in Belgium, they still don’t have a government many months after going to the polls. What a farce!

The only winner when it comes to gaining seats would be the Lib Dems. According to the British Election Study, Nick Clegg would have gained an extra 32 seats under AV in the election last year. And what a winner he would be, gaining a permanent place in government. Does that sound fair to you, that the party that comes third should win every time? It’s incredible but true that the power to select a Prime Minister would switch from the people of Britain to the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Those in favour of AV have put forward some vague suggestions that MPs would work harder if we changed electoral systems. I don’t believe this to be true but again I wonder when they will wake up to the fact we are talking about the election of governments. We should not sleepwalk into something that would pervert the governance of Britain. Governments have enormous power, and the power to choose governments should stay with the people.

I would encourage everyone to use their vote in the referendum and say “No” to hung parliaments, coalitions, broken promises and a weakening of democracy.