A majority of the public will vote yes in the alternative vote (AV) referendum, according to an ICM poll in today's Independent; 56% favour AV, 44% oppose.
A majority of the public will vote yes in the alternative vote (AV) referendum, according to an ICM poll in today’s Independent. When asked a straight question about which voting system they prefer, similar to the one which will appear on the ballot paper, 56 per cent said they favoured AV, with 44 per cent preferring first-past-the-post (FPTP).
The result comes as Nick Clegg looks set to be sidelined from the campaign, the Indy reporting:
The new survey has reinforced the Yes camp’s determination to ensure that politicians – including Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader – play a low-key role in its drive.
“We have to ensure that the referendum is not seen through the prism of party politics,” said one senior figure in the campaign.
He denied that Mr Clegg would be sidelined because his personal ratings have plummeted since he became Deputy Prime Minister in May, saying that other politicians backing reform would also keep a low profile.
Worryingly, though, the report adds:
Focus groups conducted for the Electoral Commission found that some people thought AV meant being allowed to vote online or by post, referred to an unknown alternative or is a proportional system.
Countering insinuations that the poll may have been loaded, a spokesman for the AV ‘Yes’ campaign told Left Foot Forward:
“The question was what will be on the ballot paper. It was: ‘At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?’
“No vetoes. No leading questions. That was it.”
The referendum takes place on Thursday, May 5th.
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11 Responses to “AV: Poll lead for yes campaign as Clegg set to take back seat”
John Edginton
RT @leftfootfwd: AV: Poll lead for yes campaign as Clegg set to take back seat: http://bit.ly/frcpRw reports @ShamikDas #Yes2AV
Andy
You missed out a very important bit of this: “The finding contradicts other polls which have suggested that Britain will reject AV in the referendum that takes place next May.” And only 1000 people were polled.
My expectation is that AV will be rejected and many people, much like myself, will vote against it purely to get back at the fib dems who stole there vote.
David Morris
That Independent article does not say that Nick Clegg will be sidelined (despite the headline and what your post states).
In fact, it says the following:
“He denied that Mr Clegg would be sidelined because his personal ratings have plummeted since he became Deputy Prime Minister in May, saying that other politicians backing reform would also keep a low profile.”
Nick’s name is only mentioned three times too. It’s more a general piece about the Yes and No campaigns.
Spir.Sotiropoulou
RT @leftfootfwd: AV: Poll lead for yes campaign as Clegg set to take back seat http://bit.ly/fzPSUT
Will Straw
@anthonyjwells We dont have the tables but the Q appeared in this piece http://bit.ly/frcpRw