Is it just me or is this a bit sudden?  I have heard very little about this recently.  There was a fair bit of noise around the time of the expenses scandal last year, but nothing specific.  And only the occasional news story in the past week or so.

I think I am a fan of AV, but I have not really thought about it too much.  I have not really read anything about it in too much detail, possible shortcomings etc.  So I am slightly worried this is being rushed.  The first past the post system has worked quite well so far,  I am sure it can handle things for a while longer while this is though about and discussed a bit more.

Also, is this not the sort of thing there should be a referendum on?  That way we, the people, would get the choice.  And by being given the choice the reasons for it would have to be explained and debated.

Hang on, there do appear to be plans for a referendum.  Good.

So why do this now?  Apparently it was  a 1997 election pledge, which was brushed to the side (by Gordon Brown according to Paddy Ashdown), and it has been attributed by the Prime Minister to the need to act to help parliaments reputation after the problems last year.  But does the whole expenses kerfuffle really warrant this much of a shake up?  Sure it was a terrible thing to allow to happen, but surely just better accounting, better regulation and much more freedom of the information to the public would be enough to prevent it in the future would be a better idea?  I would like to think that there are more sound and thoughtful minds behind this, rather than politicians being reactionary and trying to win votes.

However I do like the idea of open primaries that were proposed a while back though, and I believe there have been quite a few seats whose future party candidates have already been chosen this way.  It is at this stage that I feel democracy and more openness would help, to try and remove the idea of a 'safe seat'.  That along with a better method for removing an MP.  Public selection and possible public removal can only make MPs more accountable, it could make their lives more difficult, but then again do we really want people running the country who were only doing it for an easy pay-check?  I would like to think that it is something that the decent ones would be willing to give up to make the whole system better.

Anyway, I am yet to decide my views, just a few half formed thoughts as I have though of them while waiting for chicken to defrost to make lunch for tomorrow.