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September 25, 2009
Rally for Democratic Renewal - 29 Sept
This is our big event at Labour Conference. And a historic one too, with organisations from across the Labour spectrum coming together to co-host a rally on democratic renewal, including electoral reform.
Has Labour Got What it Takes?: Rally for Democratic Renewal
Tuesday 29 September 2009,
20.00 - 21.15
Royal Albion Hotel.
Hosts: Compass, Fabian Society, Progress, Vote For a Change
Chair: Mehdi Hasan, New Statesman
Keynote: John Denham MP
Speakers: Billy Hayes (CWU), Oona King, Dave Rowntree, Professor Jonathan Hopkins (LSE), Neal Lawson
Event is free and open to the public. No passes necessary. RSVP to malcolm@makevotescount.org.uk or simply turn up on the evening.
Posted by malcolmclark on September 25, 2009
Comments
This abysmal announcement on AV at least removes any lingering doubt that Labour might ever voluntarily do the right thing.
In reality a hung parliament was always our only chance of proper electoral reform, and now that should be obvious to everyone.
AV is not a pragmatic half step forwards towards where we need to go. It is a deeply cynical step backwards, a desperate bid to renew the New Lab/Tory duopoly.
It gives us electoral reformers absolutely nothing of what we want – it will reduce the representation of alternative points of view in parliament, and pile up crazy impregnable parliamentary majorities for the big 2 parties on a minority of first choice votes.
We would be insane to support it. Any reformer must realise that it is deliberately and cynically designed to ensure elections are limited to a choice between Pepsi and Coke forever.
Brown has always been utterly untrustworthy on electoral reform, and he was only ever going to do the right thing when we were holding a gun to his head and he was forced to do so.
Our only chance now is to do what we can to work out how a hung parliament may happen, make the information available to voters, and hope & pray that the electoral arithmetic gives us one.
Then time to pull the trigger and bury Brown, as he richly deserves, and get ready to find and back a new Labour leader on the strictest possible terms - only one who will do the deal acceptable to us on proper electoral reform.
Posted by: Strategist at September 29, 2009 11:58 PM
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