Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

I was talking about IF there was the proportional representaion (PR)

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

Well Germany has managed a strong economy with a system of proportional representation, quite a few of the G20 have some form of collation governments. It is incorrect to suggest such systems led to weak economies.

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

What I find most extraordinary about the insistence on FPTP particularly by Tory supporters is that Scotland would probably have more than one Tory MP as a result. In addition we might have more MP's who will work for their collective constituents than to line their own pockets as it would no longer be a guaranteed job for life in some areas..

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

It doesn't surprise me at all. Lib Dems and Labour combined got more than 50% of the vote. The Tories would lose out under a more proportional system.

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

But aren't the ideology of the major & minor parties that form coalitions similar where as in the UK the parties are almost worlds apart?

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

I would argue with the suggestion that the parties are worlds apart, I think they can be quite similar, in this country their doesn't seem to massive gulfs in ideology.

However, if it were the case that the parties are worlds apart, that is because of the current political system which requires hostility between the parties as it's winner takes all in the electoral system. If we had collation governments they would have to compromise and moderate themselves in order to work together.

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

Yet they didn't protest before the election did they?

And Clegg's job is to assume control of the country. Do you think he would persue a policy that would keep him out of the running? He may be a liberal and part of the leftist elite but he has self-interest just like the centrists and those on the right.

Anyway, as per my previous post Clegg is the most powerful man in the country right now. Both other parties are bending over backwards trying to get Clegg on his side (well, Labour was at one point). He will massively shape the policies of the next government. I have not computed the various figures that of the dozens of systems Lib Dem supporters can dream up but i'd suggest that FPTP has been very kind to Lib Dems this time around.

If they wanted to protest about the election, why not protest Labour's constant gerrymandering?

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

Under FPTP Labour need the smallest percentage of votes to get a majority, so why are the Tories so anti when it would probably favour them more (based on Euro MP's who are elected by PR).

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

It works both ways. In a two party system parties will tend to move to the center to get votes off each other. Under PR the extremes tend to get more representation. You also get more parties in parliament. Then again, the parties that actually get into government will tend to cooperate, leading to a consensus model.

---------- Post added at 14:57 ---------- Previous post was at 14:52 ----------

I don't think it would. Yes, the current system favours Labour most, but it also favours the Tories over the Lib Dems. PR would bring the Lib Dems in at the cost of Labour, but it would result in two parties on the left flank that would outnumber the Tories. Labour and Lib Dems combined got ~53% of the popular vote. The Tories ~35%. The current result would have been a nightmare for the Tories under PR.

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

No, they are complaining because they feel disenfranchised by the current electoral system which means that many votes are practically worthless.
No point in having the vote if it doesn't mean anything so in that sense not that far removed from not having the vote at all.

Can't say - but I would think not as the Lib Dems promised electoral reform.

I don't think the comments are insulting at all and I'm sure many who did die wouldn't fail to see the irony of a pointless voting system.

Your comments about confronting 'idiots' exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest is probably more insulting if you want to go down that road.



The protesters have every right to be there protesting peacefully. Are you saying they should be quiet for Sky news now or not protest against their perceived treatment by Sky News?

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

Actually there are 40/72 Right of Centre UK MEP's (25 Tory, 13 UKIP & 2 BNP)

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

So they are protesting because the party they voted for didn't win? Going a bit full-circle here aren't we?

Good. Hope they take heed. Although I doubt they'd care.

Peaceful? With the racket they were making?

Still boils down to the fact they are selfish and their protest forced an interview off the air. My main gripe with protesters like these is that the only people that are affected are entirely innocent and don't give a toss about whatever the protesters are whinging about.

And no, before you say it, continuing employment of Kay Burley is not same as denying women or black people the right to vote.

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

How many times. It's not about not winning, it's questioning the nature that there is a winner and loser instead of people being presented in the manor they voted.

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

No, they are protesting for electoral reform and feel that the time has finally come to fix the broken system.




A bit weak if you're playing semantics. Peaceful, i.e. non-violent as you know full well I suspect.

Why are they selfish for forcing an interview off air? They don't have to bow down to Sky News now do they? And you know that all the viewers don't give a toss about what the protesters are whinging about, how exactly?

Re: 2010 General Election: The Cable Forum Exit Poll
 

Hmm, yes. Fair point. :tu: