THE voting referendum on May 5 will be the only game in town, with no local elections in Oxford this year – to the likely relief of the Liberal Democrats.

I and most other progressives will vote ‘yes’.

The alternative vote is far short of proportional representation. In fact, it’s not proportional at all, but it is a step towards that, and most political gains are incremental.

AV is only a modest reform but our MPs will enjoy a wider mandate and a lot more votes will count than is currently the case.

Yes, I know some folk are reluctant to agree with Nick Clegg on anything, but virtually the entire old guard of Lawson, Tebbitt, Mandelson, Straw, Prescott and Blunkett oppose AV.

Would people prefer to line up with this bunch of reactionaries and yesterday’s men?

New Labour promised us a referendum on AV in its election manifesto, yet Labour lords side with right-wing Tories to try to sabotage it. This is shameful. We should also have a referendum on the abolition of the House of Lords; I’d vote ‘yes’ to that too.

The other aspect of the Parliamentary voting system and Communities Bill is the proposal – not subject to referendum – to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600.

A lot of MPs (mostly Labour) oppose this out of self-interest, yet how many of them bothered to turn up for the important debate and vote on the issue of votes for prisoners? About 250, that’s all. And only 22 of them had the political courage to vote for prisoners’ rights, in line with the European Court ruling.

The 10 to one vote against votes for prisoners was not representative of MPs’ views. Many believe prisoners should get the vote but stayed away en masse, fearful of tabloid reaction.

There are few votes to be won in supporting prisoners’ rights but shouldn’t politicians have the courage of their convictions?

And by that I don’t mean the ex-Labour MPs languishing in jail for fiddling their expenses.

JOHN GREEN, Risinghurst, Oxford