Proportional Representation, where if 10 million people vote for A, and 8 million vote for B, then A gets in.
Pros and Cons?
At the moment, Tories can't govern even though they got more than Labour did 5 years ago (and Labour got less than Tories did) Can't be right.
Someone help me out, please?
Why is PR not right?
8 comments:
Because the party in control doesn't like that sort of PR, they want it to be so complicated that only a committee can understand it.
Because.... its doesn't quite work the way you think it does.
There are two parts to the equation. First is that your vote elects the Member of Parliament. The second, and rather crucial part, is that Member then in turn votes in Parliament themselves... hopefully in line with the wishes of the majority of voters who elected them.
Now with PR, you still have those same two parts of the equation but the first part is changed.
Lets say 10 million vote for the Blues, 8 million for the Reds and 4 million for the Lib-Yellows.
Okay so far?
A classic PR system might then dictate that the Blues get 3 MPs, the Reds 3 and the Glib-Jellos get 1.
Fair enough, you could live with that right? If repeated nationally, the Blues Obviously get to sit in the big chair.
Except, its difficult to maintain the constituency link when you are drawing MPs from a pooled list. And who decides which MP gets selected from the top of each party's lists? Someone might have voted Jib-Wellows because they rather fancied that hot totty one with the big bazookas but the party then choose the fat poof with the wandering eye as their first (and in this example only) choice.
And here's the second part of the equation...
Your ragtag band of new MPs are sent off to that London Town to sip taxpayer subsidised champers and to vote 'n stuff. The Blue bloke in the big chair says that his Government is going to make all the country's blogs beginning with 'B' tax free, enterprise zones with special 72 virgin status. Yippe cries you! Bummer cries that Guido whatsitchappie.
However, the Reds and Yellows vote against the measure: The Blues 3 caught in a stalemate against the Reds 2 and the Yellows 1.
See the problem?
Oh, but you'd rig the system so that couldn't happen. Right? You'd ensure the party getting most votes got a natural overall majority of MPs.
But look again, the Red and the Yellows got 12 million votes between them didn't they? And the Blues only got 10 million. So how is it fair they get more MPs?
Arrgh, in that case, you'd....
And there lay just a few of the issues with PR...
No system is perfect, the current one included. PR is a fudge that promises fairness but actually delivers compromises that please almost no one.
Personally, I wouldn't touch PR with a barge pole.
The system we have might not be fully representative but it does work, it returns stable governments, is easily understood by the populous and is relatively free from meddling by the politicians. Introduce PR and the politicians, parties and vested interests will have their say before we do... and continue to rearrange the furniture after we've voted.
Hope that helped?
CF asks: Is this what PR will be like?
;-)
More PR bollocks....
Those in favour of PR often cite Germany and their ability to make coalition Government work.
Well, its not looking too good at the moment... German coalition 'suffers key regional poll loss'
Best explantion of how PR works and why it's bollocks I've ever read, nice one John.
I'm waiting for Labour to be fucked off out of number ten. Should be soon, no?
* My first comment above, 6th paragraph, should read: "Blues get 3 MPs, the Reds 2 and the Glib-Jellos get 1". Appears I gave the Reds an extra MP. Ooops!
I'm waiting for Labour to be fucked off out of number ten. Should be soon, no?
Who can tell?
BBC saying that 'if' a LibCon deal can be struck then Brown might even twaddle off to hand in his notice to the Queen this afternoon... or maybe not.
Thing is, he may decide to try and form a Government himself (as is his right as the sitting PM) and to hell with the rest of them. For sure, they'll be much hand-wringing from the media and the public. Most definitely, such a Government will fall within a few short months and we'll be facing another election in October.
So what would you do in his position. Tough it out for another 6 months with the outside possibility of a further 5 years after the next election or quit today and never sit in the big chair again?
To be honest, I don't understand why any of them want the job at the moment???
"Thing is, [Gordon Brown] may decide to try and form a Government himself (as is his right as the sitting PM) and to hell with the rest of them"
Jesus Christ.
Nick Robinson (BBC wise politicking owl) tells us that Brown wouldn't do this because the numbers simply don't add up....
Ermmm excuse me, but since when did numbers not adding up stop Gordon Brown?
Even now, supposedly with no Government running the show; Brown's eye-browed Chancellor is pledging £15 billion from our empty kitty to aid the Euro-zone should they find things a bit tight in the future! Aside from the fact we're not even in the bloody Euro, are the Germans and Frogs setting up a fund to aid the Pound? Are they?
Are they F*** !!!
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