Airbrushed Benjamin Zephaniah?

We the voting  public ignore this political debate at our peril. Our politicians on all political sides acutely know there is a great deal at stake. Think about this for second, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats collectively agreed on the biggest public spending cuts we have witnessed for generation. As a result an estimated 100,000 public sector workers may  lose their jobs. And since Labour’s General Election loss there has barely been an issue that has not united the party. In this political climate in which unity is key  it is astonishing then that this unparalleled solidarity whether it’s the Coalition Government or Labour Party unity has been blown out of the water in regards to the Alternative Vote debate.

What is at stake is the biggest political change this country will see for a very long time: Less safe seats, means less complacent politicians. The old order of every political party focusing on the 150 most marginal seats will be consigned to the history books. All political parties will be outside of their comfort zone. The electorate will simply have more of a say.

This debate is so important it´s not too surprising it’s getting dirty. The latest non-story is the so-called, airbrushing of AV supporter and poet Benjamin Zephaniah. An enthusiastic supporter of democratic reform including the AV, Zephaniah told the campaign team, ‘use me as much as you can’.

So they did. They took out an existing photo of campaign members and  put one of Zephaniah in. This crucial point is worth repeating in a different way; Zephaniah was not airbrushed out he was never in the original photo.

You can read his own short statement on the matter.

In politics discrediting your opponents can sadly help win the debate, and the ‘No vote’ campaign, were hardly going to let the facts get in the way of a blistering headline. At times it seems to me that the ‘No vote’ campaigners have a directive that states, ‘we must win at all cost’.

For example, I have simply lost count of the number of politicians - many of whom I respect - who have proclaimed, ‘the Yes Vote will help the BNP’, when the BNP’s own explicit directive is to support the ‘No Vote’.

I guess in the last few weeks of campaigning we will see more scaremongering not less. It’s a shame, democracy deserves better.

I support the ‘Yes Vote’, because I think it is fairer and more democratic, that’s my view. Many will disagree, but let’s at least have an honest debate.

Simon Woolley