'No to AV' stoop low

If this poster is the 'No to AV' campaigns arguments then it confirms the need for re-invigorating our democracy. A while ago I blogged on 'What is the Alternative Vote?' and in that I noted that are some rational reasons why folk might not wish to support AV. However my view is that AV is a much needed small, all be it imperfect, step towards improving our democracy.

Now we get this poster campaign from 'No to AV'. Why? It makes no sense? The Yes to Fairer votes campaign have quickly challenged the NO side’s claims that it will cost £250 million:

• There are no plans to use electronic counting machines: this is despite the NO campaign’s key claim that such counting machines will cost £130 million
• The NO campaign have wildly exaggerated the potential cost of voter education if AV is introduced: they based the costs on the adoption of the Single Transferable Vote in Scotland, which is a more complex system than AV

It seems the No side have given up on defending our current system. Stephen Baxter writing in the New Statesman said when he sees the NO to AV adverts: "I keep expecting someone to say "Daw! Of course that's not a real No to AV advertisement, you big silly! We'd never put out something as crass to make a political point - what do you take us for, a bunch of jerks?" But that doesn't happen. It's a real advert. It's actually earnest, po-faced, this-is-what-we-think campaigning."

This is not the exciting Anti-AV campaign promised to us back in September by NO to AV. It is also disturbing that the No campaign refuse to disclose their financial backers.