New Year Message
A very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and successful campaigning to all readers. I wonder whether 2009 would be more prosperous if a less confrontational voting system encouraged more co-operation between different parties in Parliament on the current economic problems. Just a thought!

Great Britain will use the Regional List system for elections to the European Parliament again in June. FPTP supporters will make a big fuss about the system's deficiencies, imply that all PR systems are similarly faulty and claim FPTP would be better, but at least the result will be broadly proportional between the parties. STV supporters will have the delicate task of agreeing with most of the criticisms but pointing out that STV (which is used in Northern Ireland for Euro elections) and, not FPTP, is the answer. You may think the Government chose such a poor system deliberately to discredit all PR voting systems, but I could not possibly comment!

I wish success to STV supporters in British Columbia, Canada, in the referendum on 12 May 2009 to introduce STV for elections to the provincial legislature. Although they won a clear majority throughout the province for the same proposition in 2005, they just failed to achieve the artificial threshold the provincial government had set (60% overall and a clear majority in 48 of the 79 ridings (constituencies)) and, unfortunately, the threshold will be the same again this time.

The first anniversary of the UK Government's Desk Review falls on 24 January 2009. It was quite fair, strong on analysis, but lacking in recommendations and the Government has largely ignored it ever since. The Executive Summary of the Review states that the Government welcomes "contributions to the debate" but has not encouraged them. I suggest readers mark the anniversary with their own contributions to the debate by writing to the Government, MPs and media. Several useful quotations from the Review appear on www.stvAction.org.uk.

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2008 review

Strictly voting

The last month of the year saw huge public discontent in the UK about the voting system and many centimetres of newsprint were devoted to righteous indignation on the subject. Sadly, the disputed voting system was not the one used for electing MPs but one viewers used for the television programme, Strictly come dancing. Peter Morley has an interesting perspective of this on www.stvAction.org.uk.

John Mason MP

I was neutral between the candidates in the Glasgow East parliamentary bye-election on 24 July but was delighted to discover afterwards that the new MP (John Mason, SNP) was an enthusiastic STV supporter. Although an MP for only five months, including recesses, he has already championed STV three times in the Commons, the first of these being in his maiden speech. You can read on www.stvAction.org.uk what he said.

Multi-member constituencies

Taking the argument to our opponents who claim that single member constituencies are essential, DAGGER (Democrats Action Group for Gaining Electoral Reform) published a book, Democracy - the missing element, in 2008 about the advantages of multi-member constituencies. Price £7.00 (payable to DAGGER) including p&p, it is available from DAGGER, 23 Shaftesbury Hall, Chelsea Square, St George's Place, Cheltenham GL50 3PX. For more details, please phone DAGGER's Chairman, Joan Davies, on 01242 227230.

Bulletins

During the year, I started e-mailing short, occasional bulletins to STV News readers with brief news items that were not worth a full STV News but which I felt should not wait until the next one. I hope you found them helpful; the reaction I have received has been positive so I intend to continue them as appropriate.

Wellington

I warmly welcome the referendum decision in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, on 27 September to keep STV for Wellington City elections and I know you will join with me in wishing our friends there every success in their quest to introduce STV for Greater Wellington Regional Council elections.

USA

It was disappointing that our friends in Cincinnati, Ohio, were unable to persuade their fellow citizens on 4 November to reintroduce STV for city elections, but they faced a campaign of distortion by those determined to preserve block X voting and most of the electorate probably had their minds more on the presidential election held the same day.

However also on 4 November, in Memphis Tennessee, 70% voted for preference voting in the form of the Alternative Vote (AV), which they call Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and 67% did the same in Telluride, Colorado. Congratulations to all who helped those campaigns and indeed to the citizens who voted for preference voting.

New FPTP Group

A new All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Continuation of First Past the Post (FPTP) was formed. It is encouraging that our opponents are taking us so seriously now that they feel compelled to organize against us. Its Chairman, Daniel Kawczynski MP, is strangely reluctant to discuss the subject. His e-mail address is [available here] in case you would like it.

Electoral Reform Society

The Society's Council decided in August to change its structure of governance and appointed new officers in December. No doubt those of you who are ERS members, as most of you are, will receive official notice of the changes.

Anniversaries

2008 was a year of important voting anniversaries:

It was the first anniversary on 3 July 2008 of the Government's The Governance of Britain green paper. The Ministry of Justice marked it by publishing another document, Governance of Britain - one year on. As the Electoral Reform Society commented pithily, "One year on: We are still waiting for substance."

The 90th anniversary of votes for women (from age 30) was on 11 December 2008 and the 80th anniversary of votes for women on the same basis as men fell on 2 July 2008; i.e. men's and women's votes in safe constituencies were equally useless then and they still are. What's more, they'll stay useless so long as we have the present voting system.

Your views

Do please use the link near the top of this newsletter to tell me your views on its contents or on any other aspect of STV. I would especially welcome your ideas for campaigning, but please comment on other aspects if you wish.