“Why I, a Conservative say Yes to AV”

Fresh out of university, I chose to pursue a career in politics. I knew working for an MP didn’t pay well. But I was young and idealistic:  what was important was doing something where I felt I was making a difference to people’s lives, helping to bring about positive change.

But, too often, I became disillusioned with Westminster. I saw, first hand, how politics was dominated by those who saw it as game and enjoyed the sparring: insulting political opponents, finding dirt on their personal lives, calling for resignations, exaggerating errors.

Being good at politics meant coming up with the catchiest line for a speech, briefing against others to secure a promotion. Behind closed doors, politicians whisper the secrets of Whitehall to journalists, and tomorrow’s papers are littered with pointless news stories of personality clashes, divisions, even extramarital affairs.

Not everyone joins in this feast of skulduggery. The Ministers I was fortunate enough to work for cared passionately about helping their constituents and finding ways to extend opportunities to those less fortunate. But, sadly, they were overlooked for promotion: other MPs who were good at getting news stories, rallying supporters against opposing political parties, working the Tea Room in the House of Commons, were propelled to the top.

It’s a shame. Politics can be such a force for good: an arena for people to create and discuss new ideas and bring about change to make life fairer. But it has been hijacked by those who salivate over a good punch up, who indulge in intrigue. Out in the real world, people are put off. Politicians seem untrustworthy. And nothing really seems to change, apart from, of course, the punch and judy.

I believe that our current electoral system, First Past the Post, is partly responsible for the unfortunate state of our politics. Candidates need not get the broad support of people in their constituency: they just need to get the most number of votes, even if overall this represents a minority of people living in the area.  In fact, two thirds of all MPs in Westminster did not secure the support of a majority of voters in their constituency.

So a sure route to victory is to exert your efforts into rubbishing your opponents to anger and excite your traditional supporters to the ballot box. So we get candidates slinging mud at each other, ranting and raving. Being a successful politician seems to mean crushing your opponents.

This is a shame. Politics shouldn’t be a bloodsport, but a vehicle for changing people’s lives. Politicians should be rated by how best they serve their constituents and find solutions to support people facing disadvantage.

Voting AV could change our toxic political culture. Many candidates would have to rely on the second or third preferences of voters who put their opponents down as first choice. This means nasty, belligerent campaigns against opponents could be fatal for electoral chances. Instead, candidates would have to secure support by talking positively about their own experiences and ideas. Potentially, this could encourage an explosion of a new work ethic and fresh ideas among politicians. That’s progress.

As candidates have to get 50% of all votes, the sitting MP would be more representative of the will of the people in a local area. Voter apathy in this country is at record levels, much higher than in European countries, as people think participation is worthless: “nothing really changes”, you hear time and time again.

Under AV, the British people will finally have more say over politics, since their political representative is obliged to better reflect majority opinion in their area. If you want people to have more power over political decisions, if you believe in what David Cameron calls “people power”, AV will do that.

Many people I know have doubts ahead of Thursday’s vote. They ask: why is it fair, as the No2AV campaign say, that a candidate who gets the most votes does not win? Well, this is not really true. In AV, you are counting some people’s second or third preferences in different rounds of voting, which means the MP under AV will indeed be the one who gets the most votes.

Yes, some voter’s preferences will be counted whilst others are not. But this is because, if their first choice is eliminated, you are effectively asking them who they would prefer next, triggering a new counting of votes. In each round, everyone has one vote. One person, one vote – a cherished principle – is preserved.

Extremists such as the BNP, who pollute our political system with bile and hatred, will be shut out under AV. The majority of people loathe the BNP; they wouldn’t dream of putting this racist party down as a second or third preference. So they could never reach the 50% target to represent a constituency.

AV has flaws. It’s not perfect. But it’s better than our current system. If you want to save politics from tribalists, if you want politics to be a positive force in the country which focuses more on serving and helping people, then vote for AV tomorrow.

Ryan Shorthouse is the Spokesman for Bright Blue, which campaigns for progressive policies from the Conservative Party, and is a former adviser to David Willetts MP

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