Wednesday 17 June 2009

Are you still against Fair Voting - just take a look at what has happened in recent years!

Some interesting fact about Fair Voting (Proportional Representation);

In 2005 Labour polled 35.2% of the vote and won 355 seats; the Conservatives polled 32.4% of the vote and won 198 seats; the Liberal Democrats polled 22.0% of the vote and won 62 seats.

Source: House of Commons research paper, March 2006.

Under the First Past The Post system in 2005 George Galloway polled the votes of only 18.4 per cent of his constituents, yet he ended up in the House of Commons.

Only three MPs elected in 2005 secured the votes of more than 40 per cent of their constituents.

Source: Electoral Reform Society 2009

SEE http://www.politics.co.uk/briefings-guides/issue-briefs/legal-and-constitutional/proportional-representation-$366642.htm

............The last election swung on just 200,000 votes in a handful of marginals. The derelict first-past-the-post electoral system leaves the nation's fate to a tiny proportion of the politically indifferent, disenfranchising everyone else. Crass election messages try to catch the fleeting attention of a few bored people, the only ones that matter.

A proportional system means every vote counts, no longer piled up in safe seats or wasted in hopeless seats. The two near memberless old parties have the system stitched up and voters are on strike. Tony Blair won just 25% of the electorate in 2005. Mrs Thatcher turned the country hard right, yet never had a majority, as Conservatives dominated the last century, despite a social democratic majority.

Labour tribalists block reform and now they will reap the whirlwind. The weary New Labour coalition doesn't represent its members. A promise to break the system and let new parties flourish, gaining votes according to popularity, working in coalitions better weighted to the popular vote would show a new trust in the electorate. (And make coalition with Liberal Democrats a good outcome from the next election).

SEE also http://www.politics.co.uk/briefings-guides/issue-briefs/legal-and-constitutional/proportional-representation-$366642.htm

Posted via web from sunwalking's posterous

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

My photo
My focus is inter-spiritual living

ShareThis