Certainly none of the other voting systems being proposed is really "proportional", especially as some electors get their "second choice" included and others don't, so it isn't even equal voting for everyone (or, as Labour might put it, "a further vote for all").They would still end up with the Liberal Democrats propping up a minority party, which result is in fact more likely when voters realise how the new system can be used to bring about that result. (Graphic courtesy of the Red Rag Online)
There is one way, and I think one way only, to have a truly proportional voting system.
We each get one vote as now, but purely for a party, not a named candidate. All the votes for each party are totted up nationwide, and seats allocated in proportion to those numbers of votes (or as close as sensible rounding can achieve).
This would of course mean a "party list" of their preferred order of candidates to be allocated to seats in the House, with no connection whatsoever to constituencies, which would no longer exist. You would no longer have a local MP. There would be no responsibility of those new-style MPs directly to the electorate, they'd only be sucking up to their party in order to secure a good placement in the party list.
UPDATE: Tapestry has posted this on Nick Clegg's strategy, mostly taken from a (very good) comment from elsewhere, which covers some of my above points in the process.
Now that really is proportional; but would we want such a system? If not, bear in mind that all supposedly PR methods lie somewhere in between that and the present so-called "first past the post" electoral methodology, so they ALL lose at least some of the gains I have just described.
Incidentally, if this election were to be contested on any of the systems some parties are considering, there would certainly be several BNP MPs come 7th May. Whether that would be a good or bad thing I leave for readers to decide for themselves. There could also be a scattering of Greens and UKIP MPs: again, I am fairly neutral on that myself, despite my own opinion of each of these parties.
Anyway, it has been a useful thought exercise to devise this "purist's PR" idea and see where it might lead....
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteThis is why I oppose all of these so called 'PR' systems that the Lib Dems and Labour are fans of. They are not proportional (and in some cases distort the result further than the current system). They are just trying to rig the system in their favour.
As for true PR, I oppose it on the grounds that it looses the constituency link - a vital part of our political process is having MPs directly accountable to the electorate and not to their party.
Absolutely right on all points!
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