Having been denied a referendum on the European charter, we are now being given a referendum on the most marginal of democratic issues, the Alternative Vote system, an electoral system that ensures that the individuals and parties that are least wanted manage to creep into power.

During the hours leading up to 12 midnight, I conducted a number of radio and TV interviews, most of them asked me, “Were we going to be better than Sydney?”. My answer was that we won the Ashes, so we were bound to win the battle of the fireworks. In the event, the fireworks taking [...]