Do you want Proportional Representation?

[esme]

I'm sorry isn't PR a change ? my mistake and apologies for the confusion

 

...oh hang on a mo

[JFKvsNixon]

Yes, just as daft as the Tories saying it's a mandate for keeping the old, unfair, system.

 

The Tories are not saying that though are they?

[esme]

actually there's one already, it closes in june, and will reopen as soon as a government has been formed

 

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce a system of proportional representation for Westminster elections using the additional member regional list system

 

Submitted by Mr Lee Dauphin – Deadline to sign up by: 03 June 2010 – Signatures: 165

 

if that isn't quite to your taste start a different one

[Grandad.Malky]

Because of course all those who favour PR are single issue voters

 

Lab get 8 million+ votes and 258 seats, Lib get 6 million+ votes and get 57 seats, single issue nonsense its common sense, change as to happen.

[foxydebs]

So , what is your point? Are you saying that Lib Dem voters are virtually worthless?

 

No I think he is just showing why lib dems want proportional representation, as it takes a lot more votes for them to get their candidates elected as MP's.

[Darth Vader]

I'm sorry isn't PR a change ? my mistake and apologies for the confusion

 

...oh hang on a mo

 

I mean, wouldn't that just give us a figure of how many people joined the petition, it wouldn't give us an idea of what percentage did/did not want PR, would it? -(and this is a genuine question, as was my last post you referred to, not sarcasm - I had been up all night, so probably not put very well)

[Darth Vader]

The Tories are not saying that though are they?

 

Yes.......................

[epiphany]

Lab get 8 million+ votes and 258 seats, Lib get 6 million+ votes and get 57 seats, single issue nonsense its common sense, change as to happen.

 

I think he was being sarcastic...

[ormester101]

of course we do

[esme]

I mean, wouldn't that just give us a figure of how many people joined the petition, it wouldn't give us an idea of what percentage did/did not want PR, would it? -(and this is a genuine question, as was my last post you referred to, not sarcasm - I had been up all night, so probably not put very well)

 

my apologies I thought you were being sarcastic, you get a lot of that on forums

 

I take the point that a petition will only show those who actually want PR as opposed to a ratio of those who want PR to those who don't

 

however this is the best you are going to get

 

for example, I don't agree with the entire manifesto of any party, does that mean I should not have voted ?

 

and if I then voted for a party that didn't support PR, which is something I want, but I felt their manifesto was otherwise the best of a bad lot, would you assume my vote then indicated that I no longer wanted PR ?

 

and if that situation applies to me then how many others does it apply to ?

 

you can't tell from the votes cast for a party as they may not indicate total support for every manifesto pledge they made

 

you cannot take the votes cast in an election as support or denial of an isolated manisto issue, you can only take it as support for more of one parties policies over the others and you have no way of knowing which

 

so a petition based on a single issue such as this one is the only way you will even get close to finding what the actual level of support is

 

if you want to find out how many oppose the idea the there's nothing to stop you forming a petition using the opposite premise

 

but attempting to use general election votes as an indicator of the public will on an isolated manifesto issue is wrong