Polly Toynbee kicked off, calling for a "spirit of revolution" rather than a detailed argument about voting mechanisms - "don't d'Hondt me!". She played on Labour's "choice" agenda by arguing that support for genuine choice in the workings of our democracy should be a prerequisite for any politician talking about choice in other areas of policy.
Billy Bragg warned of the huge problem of party political tribalism, pointed out that we need arguments that will convince Tories to back proportional representation. He reminded the meeting that, whatever headway we make in the Commons, Lords reform is already on the agenda for this parliament and creating a more proportional and more democratic Lords would increase pressure for a more democratic electoral system for the Commons.
Labour MP Martin Linton called first-past-the-post the "least sophisticated voting system in the world" which went out of date 150 years ago when elections started to have more than two candidates.
LibDem strategist Chris Rennard argued that our current rotten electoral system requires tactical voting and this leads to a very negative form of campaigning, which most democrats feel uncomfortable using. ("Not that this discomfort has stopped the LibDems using negative campaigning very effectively," he didn't add.)
Peter Tatchell called for a new Chartist movement, pointing out that all previous electoral reforms, from the right to vote onwards, have been won by popular campaigns on the streets not just in the corridors of power.
Several floor speakers emphasised the need to include local elections in our call for reform and Jason Buckley of tacticalvoter.net mentioned that many people who had been in touch with him were worried about the far right getting seats under PR.
Hackney Green Mischa Borris answered this by pointing out that the way to beat the BNP under PR is the same way as you beat them under the current system - you take them on rather than letting them set the agenda, just as Hugh Muir pointed out yesterday.
At around this point the chair asked if there were any Tories present and two guys from Conservative Action for Electoral Reform and the Campaign for Conservative Democracy spoke up and received a round of applause just for being there. The chair of CCD then made himself even more popular by declaring that he not only agreed with Peter Tatchell, but that he'd happily join him chained to the railings of Downing Street if it came to it.
Closing comments focused on the need to support any change that moves us in the right direction, such as Lords reform or preferential voting on current constituency boundaries, which would at least remove the need for tactical voting - even if it doesn't address proportionality.
Martin Linton reminded us that first-past-the-post doesn't just affect election results, but also the way parties govern - focusing on the views of apolitical swing voters in marginal seats rather than the majority of the population. And in local government, fptp leads to one-party states.
Billy Bragg returned to the issue of the BNP reminding people that under PR the positive protest vote becomes viable and pointed to the success of the Scottish Socialist and Greens and the lack of far-right activity north of the border.
The post-meeting session in the pub was a good chance to catch up with a wide variety of people. The Green Party was well represented as was the ex-youth cnd mafia from 10 years ago. Most of my time was spent talking to various bloggers, including the Honourable Fiend and Tim Ireland of Bloggerheads and backingblair fame.
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