One step forward....two steps back

Since last week's Commons vote for AV, there have been many arguments put forward by ERS and others that a vote FOR AV is a form of progress, as though the journey to reform of the electoral system is linear. 


The vote for AV is actually a block to reform, an attempt to deliberately limit and divert progress to real reform. I will concede that some people who want to see the AV proposals do well are indeed supporters of real reform and DO see the step to AV as being part of the journey to full PR (much like the adherents to "devolution is a process, not an event" crew, who have, strangely enough, been proved to be correct!). However, the forces AGAINST real voting reform in Westminster want to use the AV vote as a barricade against more reform. 


The vote in the Commons was meaningless, the Bill will never receive Royal Assent and the Conservatives would repeal it even if it did pass into law before the General Election. It is easy to scrap and ignore poor attempts at reform, it would have been a lot harder to set aside any proposals which could generate cross-party support, but Brown's Government is incapable and unwilling to bring forward such reform.


The best way through this mess is for a Royal Commission to be established to properly consider the case for Reform. There is so much material out there for any Commission to use as a starting point, including Roy Jenkins' inquiry, which was the basis of Blairite proposals for an AV + system of electoral reform (blocked by Brown).


Let us have real reform, discussed openly and with honesty and integrity.