Contents - 25 Nov 2006 COVER STORY: CLIMATE CHANGE: An appeal to reason: the economics and politics of climate change - Lord Nigel Lawson EDITORIAL: Water infrastructure needed, not gimmicks - Peter Westmore AUSTRALIA'S DROUGHT: COAG's free trade in water threatens farmers CANBERRA OBSERVED: Howard's loyalty to U.S. faces severe test UNITED STATES: U.S. voter backlash against Bush's Iraq war - John Miller IRAQ WAR: Bush runs out of options - Peter Westmore THE ECONOMY: Wishful thinking about agriculture, manufacturing - Colin Teese WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Taped calls incriminate ex-premier, minister - Joe Poprzeczny STRAWS IN THE WIND: Sinister side to lunatic fringe / The gentle art of blackening reputations / Faces of vulnerability / The old refrain? - Max Teichmann ISLAM: What we must know about Islam - Bill Muehlenberg HUMAN CLONING: Patterson's curse - the Frankenbunny - Babette Francis Lies, cowardice and cloning (letter) - Dr David van Gend Bouquet and brickbat for News Weekly (letter) - Dudley Carr Optional preferential voting rejected (letter) - Bernie Lewis Greenhouse superstitions (letter) - Ian W. Adie Using children as spies (letter) - Greg O'Regan BOOKS: INSIDE THE ASYLUM: Why the UN and Old Europe are Worse Than You Think, by Jed Babbin - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) BOOKS: THE BATTLE FOR SPAIN: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939, by Antony Beevor - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) NEWS WEEKLY BOOKS

Sir,

Optional preferential voting, suggested by David Perrin (News Weekly, October 14, 2006), is not the answer. Few electors choose to use preferences and the result virtually is "first past the post".

In Queensland, optional preferential voting is supported by Labor, with "Vote 1 only" as its strong slogan.

In the recent September state election, this gained Labor 59 seats (in a house of 89), with only 47 per cent of the primary vote.

Bernie Lewis,
Proserpine, Qld.
 
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