What is AV to me?

AV is a voting system that is fairer than FPTP. Why?

AV lets me keep a link to my constituency MP, like with FPTP.

AV lets me vote for who I want to win the election, like with FPTP.

AV also lets me vote in a way that also lets me vote against a candidate I don't want in the election, without tactical voting, UNLIKE FPTP.

AV is transparent, or at least much more transparent than FPTP, because I know full well who everyone is voting for in my area. Politically I can see the *real* politics of my neighbours, not the potentially obfuscated votes that could have been placed tactically.

With this, under AV, I know exactly how large the extremist/fascist vote is, and how much of a problem it is that needs to be tackled, unlike FPTP.

With AV I know that my MP can never be elected while being, initially, the most disliked candidate, unlike FPTP.

AV free's me to care only about my own preferences, not to worry about what everyone else's preferences may be, unlike FPTP.

With AV candidates don't only have to concentrate on the swing vote in their constituency, about 5-10% of the electorate...but ALL of the electorate, to get further preferences, including opposition party die hard's, unlike FPTP.

With AV I know that my MP can never be a BNP member without 50% of the voters ultimately wanting them, unlike FPTP.

With AV I know that the winner will have a much, much greater chance of being shown to have endorsement by over 50% of the voters involved than under FPTP.

With this, I know that under AV our MPs will have a greater understanding of what type of politician they're looking for... capitalist, socialist, leftist, rightist, conservative or liberal, and have the opportunity to represent us properly. This opportunity of understanding is significantly lower with FPTP.

With AV I know that a fair proportion of MPs, up to two thirds as it stands, will know that their vote is only secured to parliament by voters that don't necessarily prefer them in parliament in an ideal world, and could switch their endorsement easily. This also isn't known under FPTP.

Therefore with AV I know that my parliament is locally representative, unlike FPTP.

With AV I know that coalitions are no more or less likely over time than with FPTP.

With AV I could even have multiple members of my party stand in the same election, with no fear of splitting the vote, allowing me to rank *better* MPs within parties, if it were to be put...unlike FPTP.

This is why, despite my greater wish for PR, I support AV fully. It's a better system, a system we can trust more, and we should be supporting it for it's own merits as much as a potential route for greater reform.