Colonel Gadaffi should take lessons from the group campaigning against reforming the UK electoral system in the upcoming referendum in May. Their poster campaign makes the argument that it will cost £250 million to change the system (not actually true since that includes the £82m that will be spent on the referendum regardless of the outcome and £130m for the purchase of electronic vote-counting machines that may or may not be needed with or without reform).
So, with no reference to the politics and government of the different electoral systems, their argument boils down to “the system you say is more democratic is too expensive” I think they’ve shot themselves in the foot. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-a-dishonest-campaign-that-deserves-to-lose-2223722.html
So, I have several questions.
Are people aware (Brits specifically) that we’re having a referendum on the nature of our democratic system? Do they care?
Do people think the advert above is distasteful and probably self defeating? The comparison with authoritarian regimes such as China that argue bread before votes is not facetious.
Apart from the figures being misleading, people can see that a one-off expenditure on a serious long-term decision regarding the nature of our democracy is not profligate and will have no influence on cardiac units.
The funny thing is that many of the Tories who are against the referendum and changing the system (referendums are not how we do things in the British constitution blah blah blah), are the same ones arguing (rightly) for referendums on future EU constitutional treaties.
[quote=“fruitloop”]So, I have several questions.
Are people aware (Brits specifically) that we’re having a referendum on the nature of our democratic system? Do they care?[/quote]
Apparently not, given the lack of responses here 
It’s too bad…if someone simply introduces a bill in the US, we’re likely to get 20 page threads on f.com. Have Brits just become so cynical that they don’t care/aren’t aware?
I’ve alluded to that before and I think the answer is relatively simple - Brits are more cynical and our politics are less confrontational and divisive. There’s nothing like the tea party in the UK.
I’m still interested though, both in the issue itself, and the socio-political-cultural question of why Brits attitudes are different.
Changing the electoral system is a big thing - hasn’t been done in a major way since around 1930 (women), although there were tweaks in the 1940s and 1960s. And that poster - it’s madness. Someone must have been fired by now.