Out of Proportion (read the next time someone talks about PR voting)
Canadians have lost faith in their elective-democratic systems.
We hear the phrase "democratic deficit" and the need for "Parliamentary reform" all the time.
One oft-mentioned solution by Small Political Parties is Proportional Representation - a system intended to allow more (i.e. the SPP's) viewpoints to be represented in the House of Commons.
The "fault being corrected" by PR is that in multi-party elections with a "who-got-the-most" system, many times an MP is selected with only 35-45% of the ballots cast (nevermind the ever-diminishing voter turn-out)
May I be so bold as to say that the time and attention paid to this "fault" and this solution is largely misdirected, if not wasted.
PR only addresses the election-of-members-of parties part, it does nothing to make the House of Commons function better - the House will still be populated with people who owe their place to membership in a party. All PR does is create more parties.
In my view to 'fix" Parliament, leave the electoral system in place but raise the standard of "majority" from 50%+1 to 66&2/3%. Rarely will one party get 2/3 of the seats and NEVER AGAIN will 50%+1 of the members representing 35-45% of each riding get to run the country.
We hear the phrase "democratic deficit" and the need for "Parliamentary reform" all the time.
One oft-mentioned solution by Small Political Parties is Proportional Representation - a system intended to allow more (i.e. the SPP's) viewpoints to be represented in the House of Commons.
The "fault being corrected" by PR is that in multi-party elections with a "who-got-the-most" system, many times an MP is selected with only 35-45% of the ballots cast (nevermind the ever-diminishing voter turn-out)
May I be so bold as to say that the time and attention paid to this "fault" and this solution is largely misdirected, if not wasted.
PR only addresses the election-of-members-of parties part, it does nothing to make the House of Commons function better - the House will still be populated with people who owe their place to membership in a party. All PR does is create more parties.
In my view to 'fix" Parliament, leave the electoral system in place but raise the standard of "majority" from 50%+1 to 66&2/3%. Rarely will one party get 2/3 of the seats and NEVER AGAIN will 50%+1 of the members representing 35-45% of each riding get to run the country.
posted by Walk a Kb or Two in my cassins | 8:47 am
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