We can’t let Nick Clegg put us off AV

By Lizzie Dearden

In the run-up to Thursday’s referendum on the voting system, we have all been bombarded with adverts, leaflets, articles, flyers and even YouTube videos trying to persuade us how to vote. While the ‘Yes to AV’ campaign has largely focused on the advantages of the Alternative Vote, like stronger mandates for MPs and less tactical voting, the ‘no’ campaign has opted to use scaremongering tactics. The supposed cost, complexity and ‘unfairness’ of the proposed system has been bandied about, but the key weapon in the anti-AV arsenal seems to be Nick Clegg.

Being the person responsible for the referendum after putting it into the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition agreement and a figure of national hatred, he was the natural choice for a campaign looking for an easy target. Clegg is probably the most hated political figure in the country. Labour supporters hate him for siding with the Tories, the Tories hate him for influencing the government and Liberal Democrat supporters hate him for not influencing them enough. And as students, we have more reason to hate him than most. So many of us agreed with Nick, putting our trust in his promises and pledge, only to be completely betrayed. A year ago, he was treated like a rock star when he toured university campuses, but now you’d be hard-pushed to find a student who doesn’t despise him.

Maybe the ‘No’ campaign had the student demographic in mind when they decided to dominate their literature with countless Clegg-related slogans: ‘Tell Nick No!’ blares one flyer, ‘the only vote that really counts is Nick Clegg’s’ says the website, ‘help us wipe the smile off Nick Clegg’s face’ asks a slightly sinister poster. For added effect, photos of Clegg often appear alongside slogans like these. Whether he’s creepily steering David Cameron into Number 10, smiling serenely holding the infamous tuition fee pledge or looking a bit too pleased with himself, pick up a ‘No to AV’ leaflet and he’s sure to be staring right at you.

And this might be a tactic that works. Personally, I find it hard to see a picture of Clegg without feeling a surge of hatred and disgust. The thought of humiliating him by voting ‘no’ to one of his key policies sometimes seems pretty tempting. Nick Clegg has become the face of the horrifying vision the ‘No’ campaign is trying to paint of the UK under AV. But that’s all it is: a vision. In reality, the AV referendum hasn’t got much to do with Nick Clegg at all.

We are voting on a long term change in the way our democracy operates, a decision completely removed from current political parties and their policies. It might have been Nick Clegg’s idea, but he might not even be leader of his party come the next general election. And even if he is, is that really what we should be concerned with? First Past the Post is an archaic and inherently unfair voting system at the root of the mess that is our government. In last year’s election, the Conservatives won nearly half of the seats in the Commons with only 36% of the vote, while Labour gained 29% of votes and somehow got 40% of seats. The Liberal Democrats weren’t far behind with 23% of the votes, but under First Past the Post, this translated to only 9% of seats, forcing them into the subservient role they are so hated for.

Whatever party you support, using a voting system that gives that kind of result is madness. It’s no wonder that around 40% of the electorate decide that it’s not worth voting at all. The introduction of the Alternative Vote would change this completely, revolutionising the way our government is elected. Thursday’s referendum isn’t a popularity contest, it’s a decision about the future of our democracy, and we can’t let hatred for Nick Clegg blind us to that.