Are You Happy With a Coalition Government? What Voting System Would You Like?
By OFadero | Thursday, May 13, 2010, 22:27
During the election the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats where at each other throats everywhere you looked particularly in Kingston. In Kingston they were the two largest parties as the local election results clearly show.
Now it's funny to read comments by Ed Davey and members of the Kingston Conservative party being polite to each other.
While I laugh about the comments one thing that has upset a lot of people is the electoral system that has brought about the coalition government.
Comments I've read from Kingston people are either they voted Liberal Democrat to stop the Conservatives getting into power, or voted Conservative for a Conservative Government. They didn't vote for David Cameron to be PM or Nick Clegg to be Deputy PM.
However our electoral system means that you don't actually vote for the PM. It's up to members of that political party, and normally only the MPs in that party, to choose their leader.
The General Public like you and me only vote for our constituency MP in a winner takes all system called First Past The Post. It's a coincidence if they happen to be the PM or Party Leader as well.
Many people think this system is unfair as if you don't vote for a likely winner than your vote is wasted so want a different way to elect MPs.
Talking to an ex-Conservative MEP this last week it seems that the Conservative story of members not wanting an alternative voting system wasn't exactly true. The truth is due to the number of PR systems used in the UK for different elections no-one knows which one would be the fairest and make MPs directly accountable to voters. So it was a case there is no point in meddling in something that wasn't broken.
Currently as well as First Past The Post, in London we use:
1. Single Transferable Vote, also known as Alternative Vote, to choose the Mayor
2. Party List PR system to choose our MEPs
3. Additional Members system, a mixed system, to elect London Assembly Members.
Personally while I like the fact that if an MP has abused the system like some did with their expenses, it was easy to identify them I don't know which system would produce the fairest result. What do you think?
Comments
Good article.
I'd like to add that while I'd like to congratulate Ed Davey on his re-election, I fear that the Lib-Con coalition does put him a rather awkward position.
The election material I received during the campaign from the Liberals was always keen to stress how only Mr Davey could stop the Conservatives in Kingston and Surbiton, what with Labour way back in third place.
You have to wonder then, how many potential Labour voters (and others) took this in good faith and plumped for the Liberals, only to find themsleves having inadvertently contributed to a Conservative dominated coalition government.
I wonder whether Mr Davey shares my concerns? His absence, thus far, from the coalition does seem rather odd considering that he was the Liberal's Foreign Affairs spokesperson prior to the election - a very senior party position.
By Peter_C_NM at 15:48 on 14/05/10
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