Final thoughts on Thursdays voting?

In terms of an outright majority you may be right. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing.

I'd like to see an end to this tory/Labour swings and the start of more cross party cooperation alliances. We need more collaborative work on big issues and to pull together as a country. A coalition that would introduce PR and end our outdated electoral system may be our next government. I'd welcome that and the greater checks and balances it would bring.

I hope the tories reach out to other parties on Brexit. They should ask Labour to use Keir Starmer who is the best person to lead negotiations get Ruth Davidson and Caroline Lucas ( if she can be persuaded) on board. Work together for national good.

 

Like you, I am for PR. The government is chosen in perhaps 100 of the 650 seats. For the rest of us, it is pointless turning out to vote.

Having established our common ground, we have to get into a bit more detail. It is always said that one of the strengths of the current system is that an MP represents their constituency, and the population of that constituency in parliament, and that that link is broken once you adopt PR. I have always gotten around that by saying that PR also means the abolition of the House of Lords, and the creation of a second chamber which has representatives of each constituency, thereby killing two birds that I have never liked with the same stone. Of course, all future governments would be coalitions, but like yourself, I see nothing wrong with that.

My question is though, how do you see PR being made to work

 

Some interesting stuff on here.

https://www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/proportional-representation/

https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/first-past-the-post/

http://study.com/academy/lesson/proportional-representation-definition-example-pros-cons.html

I guess in terms of practical application I would look to the model that operates in Germany. It seems to combine an element of localism and at the same time makes every vote of equal standing. As you say the Lords would go but that's no great loss. The Germany model has also delivered more 'stable' government that FPTP which is meant to be one of its main redeeming features.

I hope that we take the opportunity of Brexit to engage in serious cross party grown up political thinking as a prelude to a change in how we are governed. The current system is very decisive and breeds apathy.


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Might prove difficult but encoraging that Jeremy has invited other parties to back his alternative Queens Speech and some of the disgruntled Labour MPs including Yvette Cooper now respect his leadership and deputy leader Tom Watson. Just a thought where is Hilary Benn now?

 

My preferred system is and always has been single transferable vote in multi-member constituencies. When you turned up to vote you would rank as many candidates as you wanted in order of preference.

The key here is that several MPs would collectively represent an area - so my city of Birmingham, for example, might be collectively represented by eight members of parliament, split between the parties (or perhaps Birmingham could be split into two, or the constituency could be expanded to the whole West Midlands). It would mean that more people could have a local MP to whom they felt comfortable going and - importantly - avoid the major issues with list systems - in particular that it's impossible for the general public to get rid of an individual who they don't like so long as they retain the support of their party. I'd like nothing more than for my own MP to be deselected, but I had to vote for him in order to show my support for the Labour party under Corbyn. That wouldn't happen with MMCs, because multiple Labour candidates could run and compete against each other for one of the seats.

 

If we had a media which wasn't dominated by foreign and ex-pat right wing extreme owners Labour would walk in to Government. We even have a PM who knowingly lied about Abbott and DNA.

 

I don't expect anything to come of it, but I did hear that those comments were being investigated by the relevant authorities (not sure if it is the Met or the electoral commission). There is also that Tory MP facing prosecution over the last election (wasn't it passed to the CPS during the campaign period).

That wafer-thin majority might be even thinner shortly.

 

Final thoughts? Just this....

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...rity-economics-working-families-a7787776.html

Now the emperors new clothes have fallen off the tories. Their economic vandalism will come into focus. Their ideological austerity has caused on economic stagnation