Why would anyone trust the Liberals, the NDP or the Bloc?
- Thread starter The Old Medic
- Start date
The not-conservatives.
It's too bad that the not-conservatives didn't organize under one banner, eh?
If and when they do and get their majority in government and their leader will be the Prime Minister, will they insist on referring to him/her as The LEFT Honourable Prime Minister?
And if the government were selected as party leaders are, i.e. ballots and elimination of the losers, it would. Proportional representation is nothing but giving undeserved credit to losers.
Of course the losers could come back for another try next election.
Oh look!
An journal article about PR that was written before this year's election...
A very substantial reason why proportional representation is the better electoral system than the first-past-the-post system is because it has been proven in other countries to increase voter turnout in local, provincial and national levels. The reason for this is that with plurality, one can only count on the larger parties to win; therefore, instead of "throwing away" a vote for a smaller, less popular party, the voter would either vote for the larger party or not vote at all. "Because seats can be gained [in PR] with only a fraction of the total vote, voters have fewer incentives to abandon their most preferred candidates. Accordingly, the number of viable candidates increases with PR" (Boix 610). Plurality can occasionally result in outrageous outcomes. For example, "the right-wing British Columbia Liberals won a provincial election, taking 97 per cent of the seats (all but 2) with just 58 per cent of the vote" (Carty 930).
Proportional Representation vs. First-Past-The-Post
... But it isn't a proportional system, is it?
On that note, if there is a movement to convert to proportional rep, would you also support a US-style upper house that had equal representation there?
Remember Pierre Elliot Trudeau? War Measures Act? Ring a Bell? Salmon Arm Salute? Remember?
No, right now we're working within a plurality which is not entirely democratic. The move to proportional democracy would benefit everyone, even conservatives.
I can't comment on the American governmental system, because I'm not that familiar with it. I would support a move to proportional representation in all systems of government.
No, I wasn't born yet. But Canada still had more than one party...too many cooks can spoil the broth, but I don't think that applies to political representation.
You replied to my post, but your quote in no way nullifies my contention that the balloting system (the way ALL parties use to elect their leaders) is the best. Just like in a leadership convention, a loser may be given a polite attention, a losing party should be given polite attention but deserves no more. Let them fade into the background and if they have the guts and the courage in their political convention, come back in four years and fight another battle. I am sick and tired of seeing minor and insignificant hacks spit in the political soup of the country by being conceited enough that their ideology is relevant.
With only two parties everyone could determine decide on the one they like and on the one they don't. Anything in-between will only give the fence-sitters a sliver in their butts and the middle-of-the-roaders a chance to be run over.
Don't forget - those "losers" represent voting PEOPLE. To ignore them is to guarantee an earned title of contemptuous....
No, it's giving representation of ideas equal to support received...I can't for the life of me understand what is so fearsome about that.
In the end, there is no functional system that will actively, and individually, represent the entire population.
Of course not, but I'm of the opinion that even if our political framework is splintered in about 4 or 5 different directions - that is much better than the brute force, anal rape of a one track mind.
The Libs, NDP and Bloc were happily planning on going down that road not so long ago.... Considering the outcome of the last election and the lack of confidence as expressed by the population in erasing the Bloc and castrating the Libs - would that form of prop rep not be a more traumatic anal rape?
The not-conservatives.
But the not -conservatives are the smallest group of "nots" even the not-ndp is a larger group.
You continue to recycle the sour grapes argument, even when I continue to remind you that I would have preferred proportional representation since 1867.
I know. That's why we need to start euthanizing old people.
Hitler had the right idea. He just had the wrong demographic.
I'm not bring that up.. You have.
The fact still remains, the opposition forwarded a coalition plan and coincidentally, the electorate ripped 2 of those parties a new a$$hole at the first opportunity.
BTW - Isn't it a little early in the day for whine?