Finessing the coalition’s EU referendum lock
September 16, 2010
The notion that Parliamentar is Sovreign has been circumscribed for the second time if not the third. The Good Friday Agreement being the first. That Agreement requires any transfer of Northern Ireland to the Irish republic must be agreed by a referendum. The Scottish Parliament which came with a referendum most likely could only be abolished by another. On Europe, this “lock” is worth something. True Europe works around things or takes an inch then makes it a mile of it. It will get even better at EU incrementalism but so powerful is its integrationist motive that sooner or later it will come up against this “lock” of a referendum and then it will have to stand up and debate the matter. We should welcome the prospect. It can’t be too far off.
Finessing the coalition’s EU referendum lock | The Spectator.
Concerns raised over alternative vote system – Dumfries and Galloway Standard
September 16, 2010
Concerns raised over alternative vote system – Dumfries and Galloway Standard.
If the 1997 Welsh referendum had been held beside the General Election, the NO side would have won comfortably
September 13, 2010
So why does Lord Elis-Thomas support holding the AV referendum at the same time as next year’s Welsh Assembly General Election? The Non Voters in the referendum were 2-1 against the Assembly so the smallest increase in turnout would have meant no Assembly and no job for Lord Elis-Thomas its Presiding Officer. Combining major referendums like these with elections can change the result as it would have in Wales 1997.
Britons to be given vote on transfer of power from UK to Brussels – Telegraph
September 13, 2010
Britons to be given vote on transfer of power from UK to Brussels – Telegraph.
Global Conference San Francisco argues for fair play
September 12, 2010
Quotas & Thresholds: Neither the GLA or the Welsh Assembly would exist if these hurdles had been used
September 12, 2010
Over much of the referendum world such quotas and thresholds have been incorporated in the referendum process either in a covert way or at unreasonable levels with the (usually) wilful intent of crippling the referendum process. With the result that in many referendum jurisdictions, neither the Greater London Assembly nor the Welsh Assembly would exist.
Democracy seems to get along pretty well on a simple majority. So the supermajority of 60% of votes cast required to validate the Yes vote in British Columbian PR referendum seems unreasonably high if at least open and honest.Yes had to beat No by 50%.
A common threshold is that 50% of the registered electorate must vote yes for the result to be valid. The arithmetic of this beguilingly democratic requirement is, given a 60% turnout, yes must win 83% of the votes cast. Just this threshold has neutered Italian referendums and the variant used in Scotland in 1979 produced a strong adverse reaction to referendums afterwards.
Using registered voters instead of votes cast makes Non voters into No voters and thus encourages abstention campaigns. Precisely the opposite effect democracy requires.
Thresholds can also be uneven in effect. Threshold seen as reasonable for a major issue can prove impossibly for a more specialist issue like “Dentures for old people”
If used at all, turnout quorums should be set at levels to avoid ridicule and not as additional democratic hurdles. Above all the thresholds must be obvious not covert to all voters.
Labour voting for AV would be a start
September 11, 2010
Saw this yesterday
Labour voting for AV would be a start | Neal Lawson | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk.
The Poster campaign begins
September 8, 2010
Dirty tricks against Yes2AV campaign begin! | Liberal Conspiracy
September 8, 2010
A reminder that the web is playing a greater part in campaigns than ever before. This “trick” will ensures that searching for any information about Yes to AV will also list the Yes to AV alternatives from the NO campaign. If they don’t make it clear were they really come from could be confising especially if both sides adpot the practice.
Dirty tricks against Yes2AV campaign begin! | Liberal Conspiracy.
Thoughts from the Train: is the Yes to AV campaign a distraction?
September 7, 2010
Liberal Bureaucracy: Thoughts from the Train: is the Yes to AV campaign a distraction?.
