In 1931, Parliament debated the introduction of the Alternative Vote system. During the debate, Winston Churchill spoke passionately against the proposals, using the now famous quote "worthless votes for the most worthless candidates"
Below is a fuller text of what he said, Churchill was seldom wrong, the country heeded his words then and we need to heed them now.
He knew a thing or two did Winston!
Below is a fuller text of what he said, Churchill was seldom wrong, the country heeded his words then and we need to heed them now.
The Government have, as it seems to me, rejected without reasonable consideration both the method of Proportional Representation and this method of the second ballot. The plan that they have adopted is the worst of all possible plans. It is the stupidest, the least scientific and the most unreal that the Government have embodied in their Bill. The decision of 100 or more constituencies, perhaps 200, is to be determined by the most worthless votes given for the most worthless candidates.’
‘Imagine making the representation of great constituencies dependent on the second preferences of the hindmost candidates. The hindmost candidate would become a personage of considerable importance, and the old phrase, “Devil take the hindmost,” will acquire a new significance. I do not believe it will be beyond the resources of astute wire-pullers to secure the right kind of hindmost candidates to be broken up in their party interests. There may well be a multiplicity of weak and fictitious candidates in order to make sure that the differences between No. 1 and No. 2 shall be settled, not by the second votes of No. 3, but by the second votes of No. 4 or No. 5, who may, presumably give a more favourable turn to the party concerned.
This method is surely the child of folly, and will become the parent of fraud. Neither the voters nor the candidates will be dealing with realities. An element of blind chance and accident will enter far more largely into our electoral decisions than even before, and respect for Parliament and Parliamentary processes will decline lower than it is at present.
‘It is a Bill which will weaken the structure of Parliament and vitiate electoral procedure. Great sacrifices may be demanded of us for great causes, but rarely has so great a sacrifice been demanded of our country for so petty a cause as this, when the fabric of the House of Commons is rotted and popular elections are confused, in order to secure a few more months’ experience of the bitter sweets of office to this dismal, fatuous and impotent Administration.’
He knew a thing or two did Winston!
Is Nick Clegg following his example? Winston started as a liberal and ended up as a Tory.
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That's very mischeivous Andrew, however, I do think that he has been "groomed" by Cameron. If you looked at the body language during the leader debates last year, both Cameron and Clegg kept Brown at a respectful arms length, however at the end of each debate, Cameron put his hand either on Cleggs arm or on his back when they shook hands, as if to say, "you come with me my boy, I'll look after you". I think Cameron was preparing the ground just in case.
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