So, the reviews are in and MMP is about as popular as Gigli. First, from the left, came a stinging rebuke from the Toronto Star. Then today from the centre and right the Globe and the Post shoot it down. The pro-MMP folks are undeterred. They've dug up a positive review from the folks at Eye Weekly who have written such mainstream editorials as coming out against male (note: MALE) circumcision. One of their rationale on that one was that foreskin is fun.
On a more depressing note, I went to a MMP debate last night in Kingston. There were about 25 people in the crowd. Sean Conway who was on the panel mentioned afterwards that this was his 5th MMP panel and the 25 people was his biggest crowd. None of the rational arguments for or against will matter if people are uninformed.
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Actually, Aaron, the Globe supports MMP, just not this particular version of it. I believe however their rationale that we can go back and do better if this version fails is a pipe-dream. The status-quo people want nothing to do with electoral reform of any type.
Also, we see that many Ontario Student Unions across Ontario have endorsed MMP - they know a measure like this will help encourage the young voters of this province to vote, when they know their votes aren't being wasted.
I predict if MMP gets below 50%, that will be the end of reform attempts for at least a decade, if not a generation. I'm sure that will make most of your No side very happy; as none of them want anything to do with a system that means they wont get absolute power for 4 years being elected by a minority of voters.
I do agree with you on your last point however - it is rather disturbing more people seem to not care. I don't know if I'm to blame voter apathy or Elections Ontario dropping the ball on this and not making a better effort to inform more people.
One of the tasks of Elections Ontario is going to have do, now that it can't be accused of tampering with a referendum, is to undo some of the unintentional damage done to our democracy by this referendum debate. A lot of people, and youth in particular, have bought into the "wasted vote" argument, which has got to be bad for future voter turnout.
Elections Ontario, among others, will now have to convince them that their vote is not wasted after all.
One of the positive things that I saw in my own riding, which includes a university, is that the Liberal candidate won every poll on and near campus. I say it's good not because it's Liberals, it could have been Conservatives for all I care, but because major party candidates don't spend nearly enough time on campus. They assume they'll have low turnout and vote NDP or Green anyway. Now this result has got their attention and I suspect they'll spend more time with students and have more student-centered policies next time.
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