2018-18 Paddy Ashdown, 1941-2018

Paddy was probably the bravest, most committed, most linguistically gifted of all post-war UK politicians.  

Here he is at our 2012 book launch in the House of Lords, (2011-9 and 2012-4), along with the late Elizabeth Meehan (2018-1) and his fellow lord, Mike Boyce. I first met Paddy back in the 70s at a Liberal Party function: we were both ex-military, both of Northern Ireland, and both of Belfast.  So he took me to Yeovil, and I was highly impressed by his energetic campaigning.  Our paths crossed again in Bosnia, where he was the much-loved High Representative, 2002-6. A Serbian friend of mine sat next to him, flying to London one year.  "Sarajevo?"  "Oh yes, I've been there," said Paddy, never one to boast.  We were often in touch, so I signed my next letter to him, boastfully, Srdačan Pozdrav, (Serbo-Croat for 'yours sincerely'); to which his secretary replied, Dear Srdačan Pozdrav.

2018-17 Brexit: a binary ballot 'meaningful'?!

openDemocracy has just publihsed:

https://opendemocracy.net/uk/peter-emerson/for-people-to-have-their-say-on-brexit-how-best-can-multi-option-conundrum-be-resol

and see 2018-16, 2018-14, etc.

2018-16 BBC Radio 4 - PM

/Users/owner/Desktop/BrexEmer.m4a

Evan Davies gave de Borda an interview on his PM programme on Mon 12th Nov.

See also 2018-14 and 2017-5

2018-15, More on Brexit

Dubin City University has one article: http://dcubrexitinstitute.eu/2018/10/a-better-measure-of-the-will-of-the-people/

and Queen's University Belfast has another: http://qpol.qub.ac.uk/brexit-a-meaningful-vote/

2018-14 Malice in Blahblahland

Alice comes to Brexitland...

2018-13 Brexit: a “meaningful” vote?

http://qpol.qub.ac.uk/brexit-a-meaningful-vote/  (See 2018-12, -11, -7, -2, 2017-14, -1, 2016-12, -9 and especially 2016-1, in which we predicted the result of the June 2016 Brexit nonsense.)

2018-12 The People's Vote - preferential?

Infacts has just published, "There's more than one way to count a three-way People's Vote." It’s on:    https://infacts.org/theres-more-than-one-way-to-count-a-three-way-peoples-vote/ 

2018-11, UK Review of Referendums...

A review, University College London, into the conduct of referendums, calls for multi-option ballots. Because of our submission?  Maybe.

And it follows on from, and supports, Ireland's Citizens' Assembly. See 2018-3.

2018-10 Brexit and Boris

So Boris Johnson resigns. But why? Hence our latest press release, No 22, top-right hand corner of the home page, calling for the matrix vote.

2018-9 The London demo for a People's Vote

Please sign the petition for a people's vote: www.peoples-vote.uk/petition 

23rd June, 100,000 in London marched for a people's vote. Brexit was divisive, not least because the ballot was binary: for-or-against, yes-or-no, remain-or-leave? To overcome the division, it would be wise to use an inclusive multi-option vote. The "people's vote" should be everybody's vote, at least something like: remain, Theresa May's negotiated option, or the WTO?

"Our campaign must be diverse," Caroline Lucas. "I want to work with people... from other parties," Sir Vince Cable. In other words, the UK needs (PR in elections and) pluralism in decision-making. The latter means multi-option voting, the most accurate form of which is a preferential points system, the MBC.

Indeed, if the UK had PR, we would not now be in this mess anyway. Secondly, if the 2011 referendum had been multi-optional, (like the New Zealand poll of 1992), we would probably now have PR. And thirdly, if the Brexit ballot had been multi-optional - something like the EU, EEA or WTO? - the EU option would probably have won. (See also 2018-7, 2018-2, 2017-14, 2017-1, 2016-12, 2016-9 and especially 2016-1, in which we predicted the result of the June 2016 Brexit nonsense.)