Proportional Representation

labourlist.org/2022/06/unison-vote-to-back-pr-hailed-as-huge-boost-by-electoral-reform-campaigners/

Was the Unite decision to back PR taken under its new leader, Sharon Graham?

She's proving to be very impressive, IMO. this is good stuff:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/17/profiteering-bosses-workers-inflation-unite-sharon-graham-labour

(I know it's not Unison, before anyone tells me I'm confusing the two)

Very good news. I hope that the LP leadership follows suit.

Labour MP Jonathan Reynolds made a strong case for electoral reform when I trouncing his proposed Representation of the People Act which of course was voted down by most of the undemocratically elected and unrepresentative MPs

www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/what-are-voting-systems/proportional-representation/

Introducing not I trouncing!

Good - the sooner the better. It will encourage politicians to listen before writing a manifesto I hope.
Sharon Graham is really transformative, and a great leader.

Firmly in favour of PR, and I hope we’re now moving in that direction.

Andy Burnham urges the Labour Party to back PR after the two by-elections

www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/25/andy-burnham-says-labour-must-seize-moment-and-back-proportional-representation

I’m going to write to my MP

How would PR work in the U.K. I wonder? Would there be much bigger constituencies with say 3 MPs voted in on PR or would each voter get preferential votes like we do in the mayoral election ? I’m all in favour just thinking about the practicalities.

I think that there are a number of choices. I did look at it in depth years ago but have forgotten.

It would be totally ironic though. The Tories chose him as leader knowing full well his fatal character flaws, but thought they could foist him on the British public to gain another term in parliament.

He may though be the reason for their demise.

In principle PR seems to be the fairer electoral system. But in practice there are disadvantages.
eg Israel, which has PR. The current govt. coalition has had to resign as it can't get a sufficient majority to pass laws.
The 5th election in 3 years.

All but two European countries elect their governments by PR.

The only exceptions are the UK and Belarus.

Not for me. Everyone ends up with a government they don’t want - the idea being that groups talk nicely to one another/persuade each other with cogent arguments/thrash out disagreements and come to a workable solution. The reality is there is constant bickering/jockeying for position/behind the scenes horse trading and little f importance gets done. ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’. Politics is a dirty business. They’d all start out as chums but before long the deep splits would surface.

Better stick to FPTP and be governed by a elected dictatorship, voted in by a minority, just like Belarus.

Missed out the ??????

An elected dictatorship. Hmm. I think there’s the consideration of a manifesto to be taken into account too.

The phrase "elective dictatorship" (also called executive dominance in political science) describes the state in which a typical Westminster system state's parliament is dominated by the government of the day. It refers to the fact that the legislative programme of Parliament is determined by the government, and government bills virtually always pass the legislature because of the nature of the majoritarian first-past-the-post electoral system, which almost always produces strong government, in combination with the imposition of party discipline on the governing party's majority, which almost always ensures loyalty.

The phrase was popularised by the former Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom, Lord Hailsham, in a Richard Dimbleby Lecture at the BBC in 1976.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elective_dictatorship

There could be a chant. Instead of "We want our country back" it could be "I want my vote to count". At least this time it would mean something.

Currently, out of an electorate of tens of millions it comes down to about 300,000 to decide who forms the government. That is not making our vote count.

I’m always out of step on these threads! ?

I expect there are many like me for whom it is quite pointless voting as my constituency as been through and through blue since time began. At least with pr I would feel I had some input.

Gin

I expect there are many like me for whom it is quite pointless voting as my constituency as been through and through blue since time began. At least with pr I would feel I had some input.

Same here Gin. The current system makes a mockery of democracy.

Urmstongran

Not for me. Everyone ends up with a government they don’t want - the idea being that groups talk nicely to one another/persuade each other with cogent arguments/thrash out disagreements and come to a workable solution. The reality is there is constant bickering/jockeying for position/behind the scenes horse trading and little f importance gets done. ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’. Politics is a dirty business. They’d all start out as chums but before long the deep splits would surface.

Germany hasn't done too badly since the end of WW2. Maybe the UK should look at what Germany has got right.