By Ned Simons - 18th February 2011
David Cameron and Nick Clegg have both said the coalition will survive the referendum on changing the voting system, despite their two parties being on opposite sides of the debate.
In a speech this morning the prime minister praised the "beautiful simplicity" of first past the post and urged the country to vote 'No' when it goes to the polls on May 5 to decide whether to adopt the Alternative Vote.
While in a separate speech the deputy prime minister said people should vote 'Yes' to ensure MPs gained the support of the majority of their constituents.
But both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders insisted the coalition would continue beyond the poll, no matter which way the country voted.
Clegg said it was "no secret" that he and Cameron approached the referendum "from different directions".
"What we are clear about is that this referendum is not about the coalition government," he said. "Whatever the result we will continue to work together in the national interest".
And Cameron said the coalition was "united in a common purpose" and would quickly get over the result of the referendum whatever it may be.
"The government is doing good work, the coalition is strong, the relationships in that coalition are strong," he said.
"Both sides of the coalition have behaved decently and honourably to each other."
He added: "I hope if there is a 'No' vote the Lib Dems will say 'we had the referendum we asked for, on the date of our choosing, but there was a 'No' vote'.
"In coalition you have to deal reasonably and fairly with your coalition partners and I think we can genuinely say that is exactly what we are doing."
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he supports changing the voting system to the Alternative Vote. The change was also part of Labour's 2010 general election manifesto which the then energy secretary helped to write.
But several Labour MPs are opposed to the move including historian turned MP Tristram Hunt – who David Cameron noted was against ditching first past the post.
A name check that the prime minister joked may have "finished his career" in the Labour Party.
Speaking this morning Clegg said first past the post was "out of date" and at the heart of many of the reasons why people do not trust in or care about politics.
"It means most MPs are elected without the support of most of the people they are supposed to represent," he said.
"It means millions of voices going unheard. It makes it easy for MPs to get complacent and lazy."
In a direct appeal to voters the deputy prime minister said by contrast under AV politicians will need to aim to get half of their constituents to choose them and will no longer be able to rely on just their core support.
He said: "Opponents of AV say it is too complicated. In fact it’s really simple. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
"All you do is put a number one next to the person or party you want to win.
"You put a number two next to your second favourite and a three next to your third favourite. And if you only want to vote for one person then you can."
He added:: "This is not some strange, complex system. It’s simple and it’s fairer. Opponents of AV say it is somehow against British tradition. Nonsense.
"The beauty of the Alternative Vote is that it is evolution not revolution. It’s a small change which will make a big difference."
Setting out the case against AV Cameron said it was "completely the wrong reform" and would be "bad for our politics and bad for our democracy".
He said it was a "myth" that AV was fairer and more proportional than the current system and warned it would lead to a "Parliament of second choices".
"The principle of one person one vote is what makes our democracy fair; AV completely flies in the face of that," he said.
"The problem with AV is that it makes decisive outcomes less likely - and the possibility of people clinging on to power more likely.
"If we'd used AV at the last election, there would be the chance, right now, that Gordon Brown would still be prime minister.
"I think any system that keeps dead governments living on life support is a massive backward step for trust in our politics.
"Unfair, unclear, unaccountable - for all these reasons I'm anti-AV. And for all these reasons I urge you to get out on May 5, vote in the referendum and say no to AV."
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