AV muddle

YOUR description of the AV vote fiasco as "guddle and muddle" is too kind to our elected parliamentarians (your reports, 29 July). Their various utterances on the subject display total contempt for the nation's electorate.

Many Labour and Tory peers are reported as objecting to the very principle of the vote on the alternative system. Labour, originally in favour of AV, still oppose the bill because it includes equalisation of constituencies in England. That would favour the Tories, which also suggests that the present system favours Labour.

The Lib Dems, incredibly, appear not to believe in the system they are promoting, and would prefer STV, which is more proportional.

The whole idea was hatched in order to facilitate the coalition government, but its outcome has been final removal of credibility in any of the three main parties in terms of democracy.

ROBERT DOW

Ormiston Road

Tranent

Opposition by the SNP to the AV referendum being held on the same day as the Holyrood election is understandable.

In the broadest terms, having the referendum with the attendant publicity will almost guarantee a bigger turnout than the normal 50 per cent or so who bother for Holyrood polls. The higher the turnout the less well the SNP, with its numerically small but zealous band of supporters, does.

Hence the nationalists do relatively well at by-elections, council and MEP elections and only a UK general election, bringing out around 70 per cent, shows their real standing. Hence their knee-jerk reaction.

Given these facts, Labour's opposition is quite frankly ludicrous and in trying to appear as "Scottish'' as the SNP they have fallen into the nationalist trap. This is opposition for opposition's sake and unworthy of them. Apart from the insulting supposition that the people of this country will be ''confused'' by being asked for a Yes-No answer on the same day as the Holyrood poll, they are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

ALEXANDER McKAY

New Cut Rigg

Edinburgh