Proportional Representation

The reason PR has never been given a chance in the UK is simply because there would never again be a majority (mainly Tory) government elected by minority of the electorate. The Establishment will resist PR solely for that reason. That fact that the majority of the population want it just not suit the powers that be.

WE'VE HAD THE d'HONTD system in Holyrood since our parliament was reconvened ,it was introduced to avoid ANY party getting a majority,that didn't work as planned and we have had a majority government BUT the list system means that EVERYONE has a representative from small parties like SSP ,to the tories who have more list MSP's than ones who actually won in their constituency.It works reasonably well in most cases though a different type of PR could be introduced when we gain independence .Its very complicated to workout for most of us

Chewbacca I wouldn't put money on Merkel either, but I would put money on either Merkel or Schulz. If the SPD wins and Schulz becomes Chancellor, it would be interesting to have a left-leaning head of state in the richest European country. I wonder how he and Trump would get on.

Interestingly, the FDP has been in power longer than any other party in post-war Germany, but only as the junior partner. It's a classic liberal party, similar to the UK Liberals before they became the LibDems. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who was an FDP representative, was Foreign Minister for nearly 20 years. He oversaw Perestroika and the reunification of Germany. He was one of the chief architects of the fall of the 'iron curtain' but his party has never been a major partner in a coalition government and has only ever provided one Chancellor - Walter Scheel, who was Acting Chancellor for nine days.

Germany has shown that PR and coalitions can work well.

Yes, it could Jalima, but it won't be as a result of Merkel's no longer being Chancellor. Some people in the UK do seem to dislike Merkel and blame her for the ills of the EU and even produce cartoons of her with a Hitler moustache. The point I'm making is that she won't be replaced by the AfD and that Schulz would be even more 'unfriendly' towards the UK over Brexit, if he thought it would be to the advantage of the EU. The German PR system will prevent AfD being in government. Both Merkel and Schulz would rather be in coalition with each other (as they are at the moment) than allow AfD into a coalition.

I will keep my money safely tucked away in my purse Chewbacca
or spend it before qe

Maybe not such a good idea to be counting chickens just yet, regarding Merkel being re elected in September. No one thought that Britain would vote to leave the EU in the referendum - but they did. No one thought that the USA would be daft enough to vote Trump as President - but they did. Europe's politics are changing dramatically, best not to place your bets just yet.

People seem to think that if Merkel is no longer Chancellor that the EU will implode. It won't.
Germany may be dominant but it is not the whole EU.
German Chancellors are not EU Commissioners and Shulz would be his country's Chancellor then, not EU President.

The EU could still implode.

Yes, but Martin Schulz is more pro-EU than Merkel. People seem to think that if Merkel is no longer Chancellor that the EU will implode. It won't. In any case, Merkel's party is still slightly ahead in the polls.

dd, that would still means she loses!

That would certainly be a move in the right direction

We could reduce the number of constituencies to around 400 retaining FPTP for those 400 and then have a further 200 MP's made up by PR based on the overall poll taking highest losers from the poll. This would need each ballot paper to have tick boxes for parties with no candidate in the constituency. Essentially a simple tally with only one vote each but you would know that your vote always counted even when you lost in your constituency. It may not be exact PR but it would be close, retain the constituency link and remove the need for tactical voting. The German system I think is similar to this.

It makes me smile when people think Merkel might lose in the German election. If she does, Martin Schulz, the leader of the SPD, will almost certainly be the next Chancellor. The SPD is already in a coalition government with the CDU (Merkel's party), so it will be business as usual (almost).

I really want a coalition. It can change composition as the subject being legislated on changes. PR gives all of us a chance to have a representative who isn't all one thing or another. Yes you will get UKIP, they have supporters however misguided. There are loads of Green supporters too. You can also (eg) have Liberals where they are nearly as popular as the Tories in certain parts of the country.
At the moment we lurch from one side to the other, and recently mostly towards the right. When the new constituency boundaries come into force, this will be even more so.
It wouldn't mean you lost a constituency MP who could help ypu, might even make it more so. There are too many places where a monkey wearing a blue rosette could get in, and is about as much use.

Very true!

I agree with you, Fitzy. There was great willingness after 1945 to make something work. West Germany really had learned some lessons, which is why I think it is now so committed to the EU, as well as stable government. The 70 year peace between France and Germany and the fact that they actually work together in so many areas has been a historic first.

It wouldn't be possible to transfer the German system to the UK without a change in thinking. I don't think the British public is ready for it just yet...more's the pity! Politicians don't even seem to be able to work together with other politicians of the same party!

and then there is Northern Ireland ..

DD I agree, but then the fact Germany is a successful country can also be attributed to things other than PR. To state the obvious, it depends on the willingness of the relevant parties to work together and give groundwhere necessary. That can result in very stable government with sensibly managed long term polices, or complete chaos.

Problems in Italy and Greece can be attributed to other issues apart from PR.

PR doesn't necessarily need a second election.

Anyone who thinks a second election the following week is a good idea has never canvassed

PR works well in Germany, but maybe not so well in Italy and Greece!

The UK might be a much more successful country if we were willing to look elsewhere to see what works - in so many areas of politics and life.

Germany has had a coalition governments since the end of WW2 and isn't doing too badly. Relative continuity has enabled governments to plan for the future, knowing that whatever they do won't be overturned completely by the next government.

Only if you want a coalition government every GE.