But think on. Think of the odiousness, on every possible level, of all the forces behind the No campaign (including the "Blue Labour" / Daily Mail Socialist dinosaurs, who are just as worn-out and worthless as their Tory equivalents). Do you really want them to feel that they have won, to have those looks on their faces? Think of how rattled Cameron clearly is, how fearful he is, that the institutionally unfair method which has allowed divide-and-rule against the wishes of the bulk of the British population (worst of all in 1983, but that is merely the most egregious example) may be overthrown, and what that might do to all he stands for. Ignore his moans that only Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea use AV, as if the whole of the rest of Europe and much of the rest of the world which uses genuine proportional representation doesn't exist - which is, of course, what Cameron thinks anyway, or would like to think. Recognise that the big two were never going to allow the electorate to vote on genuine PR, because they know that that would destroy their fiefdoms forever and probably bring about their breakup within a few years. Realise that sometimes, however imperfect it is, you do have to take what you've been given, in the hope that it might lead to something better. Remind yourself how many times you've known instinctively, and told yourself with grim realisation, that British politics in its present form is broken. And hold your nose, and hope, and vote yes.
This really is one of those occasions where even the devil you don't know is bound to be better than the devil you do. Tell Cameron precisely what you think of his plans to divide and rule forever. Whatever you do on Thursday, vote yes to AV. You may never get another chance in your lifetimes.
Yeah, I've basically come to that conclusion too.
ReplyDeleteNot related to this post, but have you seen this in the Sun?
ReplyDeleteBBC scraps F1 to keep clog-dancing channel
Popular ... but Formula 1 may go
By LEIGH HOLMWOOD, Deputy TV Editor
THE BBC plans to dump Formula 1 to save BBC4 - home to shows such as Come Clog Dancing.
The Beeb - which signed a £300million five-year deal to air motor racing in 2009 - is desperate to save the high-brow channel.
Recent BBC4 shows have included one about a mass "flashmob" clog dance in Newcastle.
There is also Secret Life of the Motorway, Caravans: A British Love Affair, Still Folk Dancing... After All These Years and The Beauty of Maps.
The channel struggles to top audiences of more than a million, with most shows attracting just a few hundred thousand.
In contrast, F1 brings in decent viewing figures.
The Canadian Grand Prix drew more than eight million last week and there is normally between two and four million for each race.
But it works out at about £1 per viewer, making it the BBC's most costly show and an easy target for bean-counters.
The average cost of an hour of TV is just 7p per viewer.
Scrapping F1 when the deal runs out in 2013 will cover the annual £54.3million budget of BBC4. The proposal will be put to the BBC Trust in the autumn.
An insider said: "Axing F1 could be very controversial. Viewers will be livid."
The BBC said: "No decisions have been taken."
Saw a link on FB. I think this pretty much sums up the Murdoch stance on the BBC; when it makes programmes that Sun readers like, they bash it for interfering with their profit margins; when it makes programmes that Sun readers don't like, they bash it for "wasting our money on the toffs" (most of whom are far more likely to watch F1 anyway). The reality, as has become ever more obvious over many years, is that nothing short of the BBC's complete elimination, other than as a PBS/NPR shell, will make Murdoch happy.
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