Why the AV referendum isn't a referendum at all

I do support a move towards greater proportionality in our electoral system. It is a great shame that this referendum will fail to actually address whether the people of this country, who ought to be sovereign in our political system, actually want to move towards greater proportionality. The issue of electoral reform has been shelved ever since the Labour Party began to seriously address it in the Jenkins commission of 1997. However, after the commission's results showed that reforming the current First Past the Post system would always be agaisnt the interests of the party in government, they let the issue recede to the sidelines. Today, the agenda for electoral change was decided not by the people but as part of the behind-closed-doors party dealings of the hung Parliament. It was the attempt of Gordon Brown and Alan Johnsons to woo the Lib Dems that AV began to dominate discussions over alternative systems. This allowed the Conservative Party to counter and buy off the Lib Dems with a simple 'yes or no' referendum on the option of AV. If we are going to pay all the costs to put on a referendum why can't we actually make it comprehensive and decisive? The forthcoming referendum just screams of political self-interest and partisanship rather than public service especially given the natural advantages of the NO Campaign. While the YES Campaign will have to overcome the severe gap in the public's understanding of the current system and the option of AV, the NO Campaign can effectively just run a negative campaign playing on fears of the costs and complexity of the AV majority system. It seems likely the 5th of May will crown another victory for the two-party system rather than provide an oppurtunity for democracy.