Alan B'Stard was a Conservative who was lured by the promises of Tony Blair and defected to New Labour. He was rewarded highly with ministerial office and appointment to the Privy Council. This video is set in the not-too-distant future when 'rainbow' coalitions are the norm and politicians say anything to get elected only to renege on those promises in order to form a government.
This 'buck passing' was the theme of His Grace's post yeaterday. The multi-coloured political banner under which Mr B’Stard is standing reflects the current situation. While hung parliaments seem to occur about every 30-40 years as a result of First-Past-The-Post, a switch to the Alternative Vote is highly likely to result in perpetual coalition government, leaving Nick Clegg (and his successors) as perpetual king-makers.
No2AV Campaign Director, Matthew Elliott observes:
“This kind of shoddy behaviour is exactly the kind of thing we might see under AV. We would have politicians doing backroom deals and not delivering on their promises just so they could cling to power. This is why we should protect our democracy and keep One Person, One Vote.”So, it wouldn't matter if Mr B'Stard promised the electorate leprechauns, fairies at the bottom of the garden, or a referendum on the EU, he could (and would) blame his coalition partners for the inability to fulfil his manifesto pledge to implement his policies, and is thereby absolved of blame.
Surveys (and declining turnouts) consistently indicate that people are already cynical about our politics and hold politicians in contempt. Far from engaging the electorate further, AV will exacerbate the divide between the ruler and the ruled. It is, as Nick Clegg once believed, 'a miserable little compromise'. For the likes of Mr B'Stard, it is electoral manna.
