Who's YOUR number two?
oratorhunt Fri May 11, 2007 at 11:31:34 AM GMT 
Facebook
As the Deputy Leadership contestants formally declare their candidacy, as Labour members we are now finally getting to judge who has the most to offer the new Leader in his efforts to renew the party’s appeal.
But suppose that, as the contest develops, it emerges that your preferred candidate has little chance of emerging as the victor?
Worry not. Thanks to an aspect of the election that has so far received little public attention, votes need not get wasted. We will have the opportunity to rank the candidates in order of preference, so everyone can have a say in the outcome, even if their first choice is not in the final running.
This helps to maintain a broader range of options from which to choose, as there will be less pressure for candidates to drop out and transfer their backing to a better placed candidate before the voters even get to choose. It raises some interesting questions.
- If Hazel Blears is eliminated early on, will her supporters switch to Harriet to keep a woman in the shake-up? Or would they switch to a more ‘Blairite’ candidate?
- Were Cruddas fans to discover that the man they regard as the candidate of the grassroots is knock-out early on, would they declare a plague on all the others’ houses? Or switch to a ‘next best option’?
But it also begs the question that if, as Labour party members, we get to benefit from preferential voting, why is it the government continues to stick with a First-Past-the-Post voting system which means that thousands of British voters are faced with a choice of voting tactically for a candidate other than their favourite, or else wasting their vote altogether.
Whichever Leadership team Labour goes for, they should make a priority of honouring the party’s promise of a referendum on electoral reform
Who's YOUR number two? | 7 comments (7 topical)
Who's YOUR number two? | 7 comments (7 topical)
