Ian Urquhart Propagandist

I wish, just once in his life, Ian Urquhart could write something about voting reform that doesn't read like a hatchet job. In today's installment, the first of many, I am sure, Urquhart begins at the title "Radical voting proposal gains steam" and goes down hill from there. To Urquhart, you see, anything that isn't FPTP is "radical". I am convinced he has no idea what is being proposed by the Citizen's Assembly. It doesn't matter because it isn't FPTP. So, he goes after the motives of the members of the assembly, muttering darkly that:

The assembly's members – predominantly homemakers, students, self-employed and retired persons – have signalled in their thumbnail biographies they want to "make history," which they won't do by voting for the status quo.

Throughout the piece he emphasizes what he always emphasizes, that MMP will lead to minorities (rather than coalitions);that the process is being pushed by the "leftists" and "social conservatives" who think they can grab control of parliament (rather than spending thirty seconds confirming that voter thresholds will be adopted to prevent Italian or Israeli style parliaments).

I expect this kind of BS to become even more shrill from the Star, the closer we get to the referendum. The only way to combat it is for people to educate themselves about the system adopted by the Citizen's Assembly (which I should add, hasn't happened yet).

Recommend this Post