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Proceeding contribution from Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour) in the House of Lords on Wednesday, 8 December 2010. It occurred during Committee of the Whole House (HL) and Debate on bill on Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill.


Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

I am sure that they are the crème de la crème and the very best, but I am just trying to help them. I want to see a system in operation that works and that does not result in people wasting their votes. The interesting thing about all these results is shown in my final example. In the by-election for the ward of Drumchapel/Anniesland, 38 per cent did not use their second preferences, 51 per cent did not use their third preferences, 62 per cent did not use their fourth preferences and 68 per cent did not use their fifth preferences. All of that comes from the beginning of the use of AV in the United Kingdom, in Scotland. On top of that, as we find in Australia, once the parties begin to devise strategies for ““plumping””, people stop using their preferences altogether and treat the election as a first-past-the-post election. In effect, that means that there is no major change to the system, apart from when people deliberately set out to remove particular Members of Parliament. Those are the circumstances in which there may well be freak results.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
723 c244 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Alternative vote Ballots Administration General elections Referendums Voting methods Scots Gaelic language Voting rights Welsh language
Legislation
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill 2010-12
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk