Sunday, May 09, 2010

Act now, if you think first past the post voting is unfair

The pressure group 38 Degrees has just has started a new campaign to raise money for newspaper adverts tomorrow calling for proportional representation.

The message of the adverts will be: "Nick Clegg, don't sell out on PR – fair votes now!

2 Comments:

Blogger Alison said...

Yes, i think the British voting system is very unfair but I'm not sure about proportional as you get so many minor parties getting seats and then government is/can be? unstable. I like our preferential system where the votes that have gone to the least favoured candidate are resorted into each voters next preference - and then the next least preferred candidate's votes are resorted...until everyone's votes are in one of two heaps and then the one with the most wins - so all votes do count - except, of course, in 'safe' seats where too many votes are 'used' to elect someone who would be elected anyway. I also think compulsory voting is good.
Mmm - '38 degrees' sounds like our 'Get Up' which has been very successful - it has more online members than all the other political parties put together and regularly solicits opinion in relation to specific issues in order to be proactive or responsive in the political arena. It also facilitates local area get togethers, providing discussion notes and collating feedback - all very interesting - the internet has hugely improved democracy, I think.

5/10/2010 12:34 AM  
Blogger Julie Oakley said...

I think you're probably right – a modified proportional system may be the answer or your system. What we have is so blatantly unfair. All those years of pain under a Thatcher government voted in by a minority of the electorate - I don't think I have the energy to put up with that again!

5/10/2010 11:10 PM  

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