AV - JUST A THOUGHT?

One of the more eloquent points in favour of the Alternative Vote (AV) may well be the fact that Margaret Beckett, Nick Griffin, John Prescott and David Cameron are against it.

POLLING DAYS

It looks like we are all going to be in for a busy few months next year, trooping to and from (or not) to the polling booths - what with the possibility of a referendum on more powers for National Assembly in March, a referendum on electoral reform (AV = Alternative Vote) in May (the 5th) and elections to the Welsh Assembly in either May or June of 2011. One thing is becoming pretty clear that there is no strong voice for Wales in the Con Dem cabinet, let alone a stage whisper for Wales. 

With both the Tories and Lib Dems having strongly coming out against having the referendum - the one for more powers - on the same day as the National Assembly elections, because it might be very confusing to voters (how patronising can you get?) by having more than one election on one day. one wonders how eloquent and vociferous will be the protests from the Lib Dems and the Tories about the prospect of holding the referendum on changing the voting system on the same day as the National Assembly elections, after their Masters in London have publicly announced their decision - so much for consultations and clear channels of communication. Ironically at this rate they make Peter (the Pain) Hain look like a staunch and effective defender of Welsh (rather than Labour Party) interests. 

There is something else to think about, Vaughan Roderick, the BBC Welsh affairs editor, has pointed out that there may well be a fourth vote in 2011. With the UK Labour Party actively campaigning to defeat the proposed change in the voting system (despite the fact that such a change was offered by Gordon Brown (where is Gordon these days?) before the election and the promise was repeated in the Labour Manifesto). If old Labour gets the 'No' vote out for the AV referendum - then the Con Dem coalition government which is far from certain of winning the referendum to change the UK voting system, could fall apart, leading to a general election in June. Ouch! 

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE LAST DAY...

All in all, it has been an interesting campaign, if rather a long one thanks to Gordon the Ditherer, having been selected back in the autumn of 2007, in anticipation of an autumn Westminster General election. Oh boy! Gordo I will bet that blunder has kept you awake night after night, not to mention the self induced economic disaster that happened on your watch! In truth I have never liked the word in this particular context as - 'watch' would imply some degree of activity, well any degree of activity!

I would say that on the whole it has been a clean well fought campaign, despite an increasingly desperate attempt by the New Labour candidate to inject some life into his failing campaign by having a pop at the Tory candidate in the last few weeks. Think if we (the other candidates) hear from New Labour lips the oily smoothly delivered phrase 'progressive consensus' one more time then we may not be responsible for our actions. The irony is that the current New Labour Party would not know a progressive consensus if it fell over one in the street!

Roll on close of poll, a bumper crop of new Plaid MPs - who will champion their constituents interests, fight for fair funding for Wales a fair deal for our pensions, our service men and women and our military veterans! Roll on a hung parliament! Roll on electoral oblivion to those MP's who were caught with their fingers in the till and electoral reform! Think Different, Think Plaid!