The question has been announced, but we'll have to wait another nine monthsto find out the answer. "Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the'alternative vote' system instead of the current 'first past the post'system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?" that isthe question which is set to be put to the public on 5th May 2011. There arestill a lot of questions that need to be answered about what exactly ismeant by the 'alternative vote'. There are many variations that go under thesame banner and explaining it to the public will be a difficult taskwhichever side of the fence you sit. I'm firmly in favour of 'first past thepost', it gives a clear decisive result, it is simple to understand and itmaintains a direct link between the voter and their elected representatives.It will be interesting to see what happens next year, particularly aslocally the referendum will be held in tandem with district and parish elections, and referendums very rarely end up being about the question itself!