As Michael White of The Guardian says, debate over AV simply ‘sparks cheap jibes and ends in eloquent confusion’. OK, so he was referring to a particular debate on the issue that he attended at UCL last night, but his point about confusion is almost certainly an accurate depiction of most people’s sentiments towards this subject. And for Dr Alan Renwick, lecturer at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading and author of A Citizen’s Guide to Electoral Reform, this confusion is exacerbated by the behaviour of the two campaigns – No to AV and Yes to Fairer Votes – both of whom, he says, are ‘spinning furiously’ and misleading an already baffled public.
But never fear, our author and ‘academic expert’ (as described by The Guardian) is on hand to help voters see through the mist of the propaganda machines. In an article on the BBC today, and of course in his book (click here! Go on!), Dr Renwick picks apart the sensationalist exaggerations and ‘blatant falsehoods’ of both campaigns to present the facts of this rather muddy matter in a way that is comprehensible and helpful.
But don’t just take our word for it. The lovely ‘Ian’ of Waterstone’s in Hampstead is clearly a Renwick fan, and simply tells it how it is when he writes: ‘Here comes a referendum. Do you know what you are being asked to decide? This is a must read before you vote’. ‘Nuff said.
And as, Alan writes, ‘most of the arguments offered on both sides are either exaggerated or outright false’, our author’s non-partisan and balanced viewpoint on the matter comes just in time for the May 5th polling day.
Dr Alan Renwick’s article on the BBC is available here.
And A Citizen’s Guide to Electoral Reform is available here, priced £9.99