The Secretary
Carn Ward Labour Party
Glenbrook
The Graig
Cwmcarn
Newport NP11 7FA |
| The Richard Commission, |
| Carn Ward Labour Party wishes to express
its concern and utter dismay with the way the current
system of PR voting is being foisted
onto the people of Wales. It is a totally undemocratic
means of determining who runs the Welsh Assembly.
We, as did every other ward party in the Principality,
worked our socks off, in all winds and weathers ensuring
the our voters turned out so that we
could maximise the Labour vote. |
| To our utter disgust 310,515 votes were
totally ignored. We could all have stayed
at home for all the good our hard work and endeavour achieved!!!!!
|
| What democratic system can justifiably
ignore the wishes of the majority share of its voters? |
| The top up system is a farce, Labour
activists and Labour voters expect their
votes to count, not just be counted before being ignored.
Carn Ward Labour Party demands a system that
recognises the wishes of the electorate, not one that
panders to the opposition. Labour is in power we
expect Labour to exercise that power on behalf of the
people and the workers who put them in that position of
power. |
| Carn Ward also wishes to express disagreement
with the policy that allows AM members to be rejected
by their electorate but retuen to government through a
back door. If, and we hope not, the PR system is
to remain, AM's must only be allowed to stand for either
the constituency seat or top up, not both. |
| Carn Ward wishes to be counted
amongst those who wish to see an end to this muddled PR
system inflicted on the electorate and return to the democratically
accountable system of FIRST PAST THE POST. If
this is not to be and we are to see this undemocratic
system perpetuate we wish to see the following changes.
The Top Up system of seats must be allocated Wales wide
and not regionally, so that the percentage of votes is
accurately proportioned according to the percentage of
votes casr, ie non are discarded, every vote is treated
equally. If the top up system is to be retained
the total number of Top Up seats is REDUCED
to 10, after all these top up seats cannot demonstrate
any link with constituents. |
| Carn Ward doesn't feel that the Assembly
should be given extra powers at the moment, let them prove
that they can make maximum use of those they already have. |
| To summarise the wishes of Carn Ward are:- |
A first past the post system so that electors
can relate directly to their chosen representative.
|
IF, a PR system is to be retained:
|
Reducing the top up seats to 10, with the
seats apportioned Wales wide (not regionally), in
accordance to the number of votes cast, pro rata with
none ignored or discarded, so that everyone's vote
is treated equally, democratically and fairly.
|
No additional powers to the Assembly without
the full agreement of the National Labour Party, The
Government and the people under a referendum.
|
| Yours faithfully |
I James
Secretary Carn Ward Labour Party |
|
|
