We need electoral reform now!

(c) maurice
Imagine a nation where the Government claims to have the full support of the people but is in fact only requires the support of a select few to remain in power. Imagine, on top …

Submitted by Tom Hewitson on Wednesday, 27 May 2009View Comments

(c) maurice

Imagine a nation where the Government claims to have the full support of the people but is in fact only requires the support of a select few to remain in power. Imagine, on top of this, that the supreme ruler can pick and choose when to hold an election, waiting for the moment when he is strongest and his opponents are divided.

Sounds like a sham democracy on a par with the Soviet Union.

Unfortunately, this is not a lesson from history, but a description of the country that you live in today: Britain.

However, things may be about to change.

The groundswell of public anger has caused by the expenses scandal has created a once in a lifetime opportunity. Politicians who had previously only been interested in floating voters in marginal seats are starting to worry they may have made a major miscalculation.

Whilst our antiquated system basically disenfranchises the majority of the British population, the scale of the revulsion coupled with tumbling turn outs are quickly making the concept of a ‘safe seat’ a thing of the past. Figures, particularly from the celebrity realm are able to challenge MPs from established parties despite no political experience.

Under these conditions the British political elite is waking up to the fact that it must adapt or die.

Part of this adaptation must be the destruction of the undemocratic First-Past-The-Post system that for so long has curtailed debate and reduced choice. Only by allowing Parliament to be able to actually represent public opinion will we have any hope of re-engaging people into the political process.

Proportional Representation has its critics however those that actually argue that FPTP is more democratic are very few and far between. Instead critics tend to claim that some sort of excess of democracy will lead to inaction or extremism and that it is actually better for the public to have less input.

This basically boils down as the politicians don’t trust the voters to cast their ballot correctly if they are given the chance. Thankfully examples of functioning PR systems abound from Germany to New Zealand. These countries all successfully manage to form stable coalition governments and tackle the threat of extremist parties.

New Labour promised electoral reform when it first came into power, now it’s time for them to give 21st century Britain a political system it can be proud of.

Peter Person
It’s funny that the political debate at the moment is half worried about a knee-jerk reaction meaning more support for extremist parties and half making knee-jerk reactions about electoral reform. Worse than this, every commentator and his dog is jumping on the bandwagon of PR.
Comparing the workings of the oldest parliamentary democracy to Soviet Russia is a pathetic attempt to cover up the fact that nothing of any merit is actually said in this article. It’s all ideas from old political textbooks rehashed to look like a response to the current situation. Oh, and we’ll see about there being no safe seats.
Peter Person
It’s funny that the political debate at the moment is half worried about a knee-jerk reaction meaning more support for extremist parties and half making knee-jerk reactions about electoral reform. Worse than this, every commentator and his dog is jumping on the bandwagon of PR.
Comparing the workings of the oldest parliamentary democracy to Soviet Russia is a pathetic attempt to cover up the fact that nothing of any merit is actually said in this article. It’s all ideas from old political textbooks rehashed to look like a response to the current situation. Oh, and we’ll see about there being no safe seats.
Ollie
Everyone is ‘jumping on the bandwagon of PR’ because now is the time to be making changes. We have an unelected prime minister who knows he will lose the next election so will put it off as long as possible, MPs who haven’t yet worked out that a recession is not a good time to use taxpayers money in John Lewis and an electorate who are thoroughly fed with the whole system
Ollie
Everyone is ‘jumping on the bandwagon of PR’ because now is the time to be making changes. We have an unelected prime minister who knows he will lose the next election so will put it off as long as possible, MPs who haven’t yet worked out that a recession is not a good time to use taxpayers money in John Lewis and an electorate who are thoroughly fed with the whole system
http://www.tomhewitson.com Tom Hewitson
This is not a case of jumping on the bandwagon.
As you referenced in your comment all the political textbooks talk about how PR is more democratic than First Past The Post, because it is. In academia and society the consensus is almost unanimous, the system we have at the moment is not good enough. This is not a new realization, it is something that has been discussed for decades.
What has changed is that the enormous amount of loathing aimed at politicians has made it impossible for them to ignore these arguments. The reason that every commenter is calling for electoral reform is because this is our best and possibly only chance for a generation to get the system and politicians we deserve.
http://www.tomhewitson.com Tom Hewitson
This is not a case of jumping on the bandwagon.
As you referenced in your comment all the political textbooks talk about how PR is more democratic than First Past The Post, because it is. In academia and society the consensus is almost unanimous, the system we have at the moment is not good enough. This is not a new realization, it is something that has been discussed for decades.
What has changed is that the enormous amount of loathing aimed at politicians has made it impossible for them to ignore these arguments. The reason that every commenter is calling for electoral reform is because this is our best and possibly only chance for a generation to get the system and politicians we deserve.
Peter Person
Try telling the people of Kirkaldy that Gordon Brown isn’t elected. We don’t elect head of government’s in this country, your thinking of America mate.
I just don’t understand why some awful decision making by MPs leads to talk of electoral reform. I get that people are angry with the whole expenses saga, and rightly so, but the flawed system at the heart of this is the ACA not the electoral system. I think it’s a shame that anger and revulsion is the only reason people are talking about reform. Moreover, I think making such important decisions out of anger may lead to poor, knee-jerky reforms.
Electoral reform has always played second fiddle in the media to who Boris Johnson has been shagging until now when the major parties are only talking about it to cover their backs and commentators are talking about it to try and show how clever that they forsaw it all.
Peter Person
Try telling the people of Kirkaldy that Gordon Brown isn’t elected. We don’t elect head of government’s in this country, your thinking of America mate.
I just don’t understand why some awful decision making by MPs leads to talk of electoral reform. I get that people are angry with the whole expenses saga, and rightly so, but the flawed system at the heart of this is the ACA not the electoral system. I think it’s a shame that anger and revulsion is the only reason people are talking about reform. Moreover, I think making such important decisions out of anger may lead to poor, knee-jerky reforms.
Electoral reform has always played second fiddle in the media to who Boris Johnson has been shagging until now when the major parties are only talking about it to cover their backs and commentators are talking about it to try and show how clever that they forsaw it all.