An interesting snippet from today’s YouGov poll:
Here are some proposals that have been made for reforming our political system. In each case do you agree or disagree with it?
Introduce a new voting system for electing MPs which would link the number of seats to the total vote of each party, and make it harder for a single party to win general elections outright.
Support: 52%
Oppose: 20%
Amongst Conservative voters:
Support: 40%
Oppose: 33%
Not surprisingly, Liberal Democrat voters are much keener, but it’s interesting to note that a majority of Conservatives agreed with this question.
The other question that particularly caught my eye was on MPs’ pay, where the public view’s are, in the circumstances, relatively generous to MPs:
Backbench MPs are currently paid a salary of £65,000 a year. If the system of allowances is changed, and properly regulated, so that MPs can claim only what is absolutely necessary to do their job, do you think a backbench MPs’ pay should be increased, reduced or remain about the same?
Increase: 30%
Reduce 29%
Within that, 21% think MPs’ pay should then be increased to £80,000 or more. Only 9% think it should be cut to £40,000 or less.
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2 Comments
Interesting wording of question. I like it – no mention of specific systems, but about the principles behind it and what people want to see. Perhaps YouGov have got us a step nearer to the wording of what should be the wording in a referendum?
It’s too vague for a referendum. The nation might vote in its favour, and then become discouraged and annoyed when they found out that no real voting system is free from its problems and disadvantages. The discouragement would, of course, begin with the FPTP brigade, who can be relied upon to do their best to make all alternative systems look confusing and inoperable.
If there is a Yes vote in a referendum, but there are also lots of people running around claiming that they were misled by the question and would have voted No if only they understood all the implications, what will Prime Minister Cameron do? Rule out any voting reform for a whole generation, that’s what!