Metapolitik

Electoral Reform

Gordon Brown is keen to scrap Britain's "first past the post" voting system if Labour wins the next general election.

At this stage, looking at all the available opinion polls, you might find it hard to escape the conclusion that any voting system, which can manufacture a Labour victory out of this deep hole, needs quite urgently to be replaced - as a matter of some national emergency. But that's a post for another day...

The proposed change, the alternative vote system being considered, is of a kind known technically as an 'alternative vote' system.

According to BBC News, Mr Brown "... is said to have secured agreement from senior ministers for a vote by MPs on electoral reform next week and will be seeking the approval of his Cabinet this morning."

In other words, he and his senior ministers have essentially voted, to have another vote today, to decide whether or not to have a vote next week, to decide whether or not to have a vote, after the next general election (and assuming, of course, that vote goes his way), to decide exactly how we shall all vote - in future general elections.

The Aristocrats.