Referendum on Voting Reform to be held on May 5th 2011

[plekhanov]

Precisely. That's why I wrote what I did. Changing to AV, STD or whatever isn't going to alter the fact that the voter elects a member of a party, not a representative.

Under the current system voters elect individuals who may or may not be members of a party to be their representative in Parliament.

 

It's not the voting systems fault that most voters blindly vote for a party often knowing little or nothing about the candidates.

[Rupert_Baehr]

Nor is it the voters fault that the parties parachute in candidates who know little or nothing about the people they claim to be 'representing'.

 

Ultimately the choice does lie with the electorate. If the local electorate find a candidate they are prepared to vote for, then that candidate will be elected. Even if you retain the party system, if the local party members were willing they could reject candidates who were forced upon them. Should they not be bothered, then the electorate could do it for them.

[Rupert_Baehr]

... voters elect individuals who may or may not be members of a party to be their representative in Parliament.

 

Incorrect terminology. Voters elect Members of Parliament, they do not elect representatives; the UK does not have a representative system of government.

 

Once elected, the member is under no obligation whatsoever to pay any attention to the wishes of the electorate.

 

As was made evident in 2005, many people are prepared to re-elect those whose policies they profess to abhor.

 

'People would vote for a pig if it wore the right-colour rosette.'

[plekhanov]

Nor is it the voters fault that the parties parachute in candidates who know little or nothing about the people they claim to be 'representing'.

 

Ultimately the choice does lie with the electorate. If the local electorate find a candidate they are prepared to vote for, then that candidate will be elected. Even if you retain the party system, if the local party members were willing they could reject candidates who were forced upon them. Should they not be bothered, then the electorate could do it for them.

How is it not the voters fault? All the voters need to do to stop that happening is not elect candidates who've been 'parachuted in' and then the parties stop the practice.

 

AS for your antagonism to parties, parties grew organically within parliament amongst representatives and amongst voters and there's every reason to think the same would happen again if the current parties were somehow done away with.

 

Just how do you imagine you could get rid of parties and how do you imagine politics could function without them?

 

Incorrect terminology. Voters elect Members of Parliament, they do not elect representatives; the UK does not have a representative system of government.

 

Once elected, the member is under no obligation whatsoever to pay any attention to the wishes of the electorate.

 

As was made evident in 2005, many people are prepared to re-elect those whose policies they profess to abhor.

 

'People would vote for a pig if it wore the right-colour rosette.'

MPs are representatives, there's nothing about being a representative within a representative democracy that says you have to poll your constituents upon every issue (if such a thing was even possible anyway) and then always vote that way.

 

Representatives within representative democracies aren't mere proxies but have always been regarded as having considerable individual autonomy about what they do once elected with voters having the chances to turf them out at the next election if they are dissatisfied.

[esme]

my MP is a representative

 

he's a representative of his party, if the party whip says jump that's what he does, his constituents wishes are irrelevant to any but the most trivial of local issues

 

--EDIT--

 

and no I didn't vote for him we might have got rid of him with PR or even AV though

[daftlad]

Thanks for the explanation & confirmation Brit Pat and Esmé.

 

I'd still prefer a system where I could vote for somebody to represent me - somebody who lives near where I do (wasn't sent there just for the election), somebody who knows the local area and its problems, somebody who is accountable to me, not to a party.

 

thats what i think. i wouldnt vote for anyone who does not come from the local area, as they have no knowledge of local issues