Make votes count - fringe meeting
The Make Votes Count fringe meeting earlier had a well thought out piece from John Denham MP about voting reform. He likened elections to a question every few years of who gets to control a train set.
The train itself consists of the population of this country who, every 4 or 5 orbits round the track, get asked to throw something out the window in the hope of hitting the mechanism that may change the points, or keep them the same. It can take only 25% of people hitting a target to determines the route of the entire train - the others simply don't count.
This government is incredibly keen on league tables for almost all aspects of public service - from schools, to hospitals, and even to the trains. Their argument includes that this is a responsive method of measuring success, and ensuring that the best standards are being upheld, and see where things are going wrong.
The drivers of this train don't believe that they should be held to a similar standard as the rest - once every 5 years and 25% of the population is enough for them.
But those who are worried about low turnout, and votes being counted may do well to consider what happens after the votes have been cast. For that is what affects, not this lap of the track, or even the few immediately beyond, but the many many laps over the next many Parliaments.
The train itself consists of the population of this country who, every 4 or 5 orbits round the track, get asked to throw something out the window in the hope of hitting the mechanism that may change the points, or keep them the same. It can take only 25% of people hitting a target to determines the route of the entire train - the others simply don't count.
This government is incredibly keen on league tables for almost all aspects of public service - from schools, to hospitals, and even to the trains. Their argument includes that this is a responsive method of measuring success, and ensuring that the best standards are being upheld, and see where things are going wrong.
The drivers of this train don't believe that they should be held to a similar standard as the rest - once every 5 years and 25% of the population is enough for them.
But those who are worried about low turnout, and votes being counted may do well to consider what happens after the votes have been cast. For that is what affects, not this lap of the track, or even the few immediately beyond, but the many many laps over the next many Parliaments.
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