We are sure Nye would have loved our campaign, because it is all about ordinary people, not the political elites. This Saturday afternoon, in the bright sunlight and in the shadow of Nye, 330 people, ordinary people, signed ‘Take Back Parliament’s’ petition for Electoral Reform.
The demonstration was organised by a group of teenagers from Cardiff, using social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, while organisational support came from the POWER2010 Wales campaign team. The demonstration was even joined by two people from Pembrokeshire, who had travelled for two hours to be there!
With chants of ‘Where’s my vote’ and ‘Electoral Reform now’, the demonstration attracted hundreds of people. Some had come prepared, dressed in purple, and with ‘Fair Votes Now’ placards, but others joined spontaneously. The demonstration, as might be expected from a gathering of like minded people, also saw discussion about the various potential voting systems, with passers by giving their opinions on the merits and drawbacks of each.
There were also demonstrations this Saturday in London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Manchester, Liverpool: in total 32 around the country. The demonstrators in London saw 1000 people gather to see the petition being walked into Downing Street.
Take Back Parliament brings together a coalition of different groups and organisations in the call for fair votes. They include POWER2010, Unlock Democracy, Electoral Reform Society and Vote for a Change.
Take Back Parliament is not aligned to any political party – instead it seeks a fair voting system so that all parties have representation in Parliament according to the number of votes they receive.
