Reserve 26 June now!

Don't miss the Electoral Reform Society's AGM and Annual Conference this year:
at Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton St., London SW1P 3RB
from 10.00
on Saturday 26 June.
It is an exciting time for electoral reformers generally now that the Government has promised legislation to hold a referendum on the voting system. The AGM will also be the end of an era for the ERS as it will be Dr Ritchie's last day as Chief Executive.

Because of the referendum, the format will be different this year and, apart from the formal AGM itself, will take the form of a conference.

Not an ERS member now?

If you are not a member now, just click on http://www.electoral-reform.org.auk/join.php and complete the simple form.

5 resolutions for ERS Conference:

1. Referendum campaign Yes. Our Chair is proposing this on behalf of the whole Council to kick-start the referendum campaign. I urge you to support it both by post and at the meeting.
2. Thanking the Society's staff Yes. I'm sure you will all vote for this without any need for me to encourage you.
3. Building upon the Success of the Referendum Campaign No. First I urge you to support Tony & Jane Hoadley's 3 amendments a, b and c. They all improve the resolution. Unfortunately I shall have to vote against the substantive motion by post and also, unless there is a separate vote on the 2nd bullet point of iii, at the meeting. This is because not only are staff matters solely Council's responsibility, it is also both nonsense and impracticable. Council cannot "ensure" any staff "are "kept in place". We cannot stop them resigning or dying! We cannot undertake to pay them whatever they demand to "ensure" they stay! I regret that, whatever their motives, the movers of this resolution have not thought this section through.
4. Comparison of methods ... No. Although I deeply respect the two movers and have considerable sympathy for their desire for different methods of STV counting to be compared, I shall vote against this. This is because, knowing how very busy our Chair and other Officers have been with staff matters and the General Election, I cannot "deplore" the apparent lack of action.
5. ... Virtual People's Parliament No. I'll vote against this and urge you to do the same. Even if the proposal is legally within the Society's objects which seems a moot point, it would be an unwelcome distraction from our main aim of STV, especially now that there is going to be a referendum on the voting system.

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