What difference will AV make? In principle I like it. No vote is wasted. Voters rank their choices in order of preference, and when their favoured candidate is eliminated their ballot papers are then counted as their next preference. And so on, until one candidate gets more than half the vote.
While people are getting a little rattled about infinite hung parliaments and the probable rare instance of a third-placed "first choice" candidate coming first in the final round, I am not sure how much of a difference AV will really make.
It is argued it will make MPs with a thumping majority work harder for their votes as there is an increasing chance they could be turned over. Somehow I doubt the MPs in the safest seats in the land will have much to lose sleep over. It will just add to the uncertainty in the marginals.
Having said that, I am aware of the limitations of first-past-the-post. It is hardly democratic that someone who wants a parliamentary career can get one if they say the right things to the right people, then win a safe seat from the comfort of their mansion. While unconvinced, if AV can take away some of that sort of certainty, I would support it. It is hardly full proportional representation though.
