It is just possible, however, that circumstances will cause Mr.
Lloyd George to change his mind. It is remarkable that Liberal Council Notes (the organ of the Liberal Council) says in its December issue, " We agree with Mr. Harcourt Johnstone that if Liberals help to put upon the Statute Book the system of the Alternative Vote they will postpone for a generation any hope of effective Elettoral Reform." The Alternative Vote must not be confused with the Transferable Vote. Under the Alternative Vote the voters would mark their choices 1, 2, 3, and so on, but the element of preference thus introduced would be used not for transferring votes from a candidate who had already got a majority to other candidates in order of the preferences, but simply for avoiding the trouble of holding a second ballot. The Alternative Vote, like the Second Ballot, does not profess to do anything appreciable for minority representation, but it does, of course, provide an opportunity for political bargaining.
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