Why would the average voter back extremists?

Published: 21 April, 2011

• I WAS taken aback by Jonathan Glanz’s letter asserting that voting in favour of AV will threaten the gay community in Soho (and presumably elsewhere) as “it would allow extremist political parties to get a foothold in mainstream national politics” (West End Extra, April 15). 

This is a wild assertion which is not supported by any factual evidence. This system does not “reward people who vote for fringe candidates” – another unfounded assertion. How come the BNP is against AV? Surely they should be in favour on Cllr Glanz’s assertions.

AV simply allows voters a bit more choice which it’s up to them to exercise. Voters can mark candidates in order of preference, either all of them or, say, just two. 

I cannot see the average voter giving any preference to extremists and Cllr Glanz is insulting the intelligence of the voters by denying them a choice. His assertions might be based more on political calculations by the Conservative Party as to the impact of AV and less on the main issue – will AV enable voters to have a greater say when we all vote? It clearly does and what’s wrong with that? Voters are not required to mark preferences and can obviously just mark one preference.

Extremism has many faces. The 2010 Conservative Manifesto stated “[we have]… campaigned to defend the NHS from Labour’s cuts and reorganisations”.

I thought an end to endless NHS reorganisations was a very good idea but what do we now have? Cuts and the biggest reorganisation since the NHS was set up!

DAVID BIEDA
Dean Street, Soho