I’ve just been alerted to the happy news that I’m in today’s Guardian Backbencher. Last week, she asked for alternatives to the newly-announced EU referendum question (“Should the United Kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union?”). I obliged…

WHEN TWO WRONGS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT

Thanks to the countless readers who sent in their alternative questions for the referendum on the EU constitution. “Europe – Yes or No?” wasn’t quite what the Backbencher had in mind, though it does have a certain terrifying simplicity. But the winner is Will Howells with this: “Should the United Kingdom reject the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union?” “That’ll confuse the No campaign,” he explains.

I didn’t pass judgment on whether Damian Hockney should stand down from the London Assembly when I wrote about his defection. However, UKIPwatch relays a good case, if true, for him to stand aside:

A UKIP spokesman said that in 2003, Mr Hockney had proposed a motion, passed by the party’s National Executive Committee, requiring any successful UKIP election candidate who later left the party to resign their seat.

‘UKIP asserts that Mr Hockney has a moral obligation, if not a legal one, to adhere to a rule which he himself was a vocal advocate of,’ said the spokesman.

Interesting interview in the Guardian today with Kat Fletcher, President of the National Union of Students, who I was at uni with. Our politics differ somewhat (although she once told me I seemed more left wing every time she saw me) but I was pleased for her when she finally took the presidency having been pipped at the post by Labour’s Mandy Telford the previous year.

I see the Guardian site also has a copy of the new guidelines for dealing with intruders in the home. This is an unrelated point.

Damian Hockney, elected as a UKIP London Assembly member, has defected to Veritas. Although the new party has yet to be officially launched, Kilroy has appointed him deputy leader.

As if the Right wasn’t already split enough between UKIP and the Tories, there is now another party in the ring. This will be seriously damaging to UKIP; its effect on the Tories probably won’t be seen until the General Election.

This defection demonstrates, once again, the problem of using “closed list” proportional representation. Hockney was elected based on UKIP’s votes across London. He was positioned on the UKIP party “top-up” list by UKIP itself. Although voters would have known the names on the list (and Hockney was top), the votes were cast for UKIP. The only votes cast directly for Hockney were in the West Central constituency seat – where he came fifth.

That’s not to say he should resign his seat. He’s not required to and he wouldn’t be able to fight a by-election as he would be automatically replaced by a new UKIP assembly member. But this shows why the single transferable vote, with a choice of individual candidates rather than just party names, is still the way to go.