I want proportional representation, now.

[Justin Smith]

There are lots of complications with proportional representation but I am sure it could be made to work. How do you typically decide the local MP in each constituency when using PR, or does the system completely change so that isn't applicable?.

 

My own preference would be something like this :

Cut the number of constituencies by 150, those 150 seats are then allocated to whichever parties require them to even up its number of seats to its share of the vote.

There may even be a name for this system but I don`t know what it is !

 

I think it is a catch 22 when it comes to how many terms or how long a term a government should have. If you make it a fixed length and fixed number then there is no incentive to make long term plans as you won't be able to stay around to see them through.

 

There is every incentive to make long term plans for the party involved. The parties can stay in power as long as they have a mandate, it`s only the leader who can only stay in power for 2 terms.

I think fixed term parliaments would actually encourage stability.

[Justin Smith]

You utter utter Cleggist!

 

I`m not a Cleggist at all, I didn`t even vote for him, or more accurately, for the Lib Dems.

[llamatron]

On what point...i make a point, you concur but you disgaree that we agree?

 

I disagree with your spelling of disagree! mwa ha ha haaaa

[Justin Smith]

what about the BNP ?

 

Under PR, the BNP would have MP's.........

 

I do find thata bit upsetting, but that`s democracy, and anyway a bit of exposure for them might not actually work in their favour.

[foxy lady]

A big problem with P.R is parties that don't contest every seat. Independent candidates would be out of the running totally. Plaid, the SNP, Sinn Fein & Ulster Unionists would be on a hiding to nothing, but the BNP & UKIP, by contesting every seat, would pick up MPs.

[Justin Smith]

Can I ask why this particular election has persuaded you about proportional representation as opposed to last election:?:

 

I have always thought that the first past the post system is inherently unfair.

[Justin Smith]

A big problem with P.R is parties that don't contest every seat. Independent candidates would be out of the running totally.

 

Not if you kept most of the constituencies and just had a top up list as I described above.

[plekhanov]

But my question was a genuine one for Justin Smith who said

 

 

 

I just wondered why this election more than other elections has led for the call for PR......is it perhaps that Clegg has made PR more high profile than it was before, bearing in mind the Lib Dems have always argued for PR for decades.

Perhaps because the share of the vote taken by Labour & the Conservatives is lower in this election than in any for a while, with the lesser supported of the two parties really rather close to the Lib Dems in support but getting massively more seats.

 

________%age__Total______Seats__Votes per seat

Labour___29.1__8,601,441___258___33,339

Con_____36.1__10,681,417__305___35,021

Lib Dem__23___6,805,665___57____119,398

 

In this last election it took 33,339 voters to elect a Labour MP, 35,021 to elect a Tory and 119,398 to elect a Lib Dem this is clearly monstrously unjust.

[Kingmaker2]

I have always thought that the first past the post system is inherently unfair.

 

I am just wondering why people, not just you, seem to be engaged about PR now rather than at other times.....is it because it has been brought to the fore this time by the media, whereas previously it was just a briefly discussed item that certainly the public didn't really engage in.

[plekhanov]

A big problem with P.R is parties that don't contest every seat. Independent candidates would be out of the running totally. Plaid, the SNP, Sinn Fein & Ulster Unionists would be on a hiding to nothing.

Not under STV which is the system favoured by the Lib Dem.

 

Under this system constituencies remain and voters vote for individual candidates not party lists.