This is how
Britain voted last week:
|
Party
|
% of
Voters
|
% of MPs
|
|
Conservatives
|
36.8
|
51
|
|
Labour
|
30.4
|
36
|
|
UK
Independence
|
12.4
|
0 (1 MP)
|
|
Liberal
Democrats
|
7.9
|
1
|
|
Scottish
National
|
4.7
|
9
|
|
Green
|
3.8
|
0 (1 MP)
|
Democracy?
The discussion about proportional representation on the one hand or a "first past the post" voting system on the other is almost as old as Democracy itself. As recently as 2011 Britain held a referendum about changing its voting system. The result was a resounding vote against proportional representation: 68% of the electorate were against, only 32% were in favour of proportional representation.
ReplyDeleteThere are many arguments both ways, but a brief look at the Weimar Republic, post War Italy or New Zealand show the weakness of certain governments resulting from elections with proportional representation. These governments were weak, prone to blackmail by parliamentary splinter groups and generally shortlived. I suppose the Israeli prime minister would have a thing or two to say about this as well.
"First past the post" systems may not be the epitomy of fairness in a naive sense, but they are a respectable way of practising parliamentary democracy in the real world.