Why tomorrow's referendum is more important than any election we will see.

Referendums don't happen in this country, but when they do, they tend to be on suitably enormous subjects. The only other referendum in UK history was in 1975, on membership of the Common Market - what we now know as the EU. The turnout that day was 64% of the electorate - that's higher than turnout for 2 of the last 3 General Elections. But this time, it's not our economic future on the line - it's our political future. The referendum on the Alternative Vote is not just a throwaway poll on a single voting system. It is potentially the releasing of the handbrake on the UK political system. If there's a NO vote tomorrow, the voting system and politics in general are likely to remain the same for the next two generations at least. If there's a YES vote, it opens the dialogue for further and open discussion: how can we get the best out of our democracy?

We often hear that those who don't vote in General Elections don't have the right to complain when things aren't the way they want them to be. By the same token, this is your chance to impact the future of British politics and, with it, British society in general. There are no consituencies in this referendum, no tactical voting involved. You can vote with your heart and hopefully with your informed mind.

As I've said, this opportunity won't come around again. If you're unhappy with British politics, or you care about it at all, you'll vote in the referendum on May 5, even if you don't vote in the elections. Whichever way you vote, remember you're not voting for a party. You're not even really voting on AV or First Past The Post. You're voting for change, or the absence of it. Because whatever the result is tomorrow, that's the sound that will ring out in political discourse for years to come. If it's a NO vote, it sends the message that the British public voted they were happy with the system they had in place. Are you happy with UK politics? Answer that question tomorrow.