Harry, I on the other hand, understand the basis of our parliamentary system

Comment on Proportional Representation : The Single Transferable Vote by JimBo.

Harry,

I on the other hand, understand the basis of our parliamentary system – it is parliamentary representation. Let me explain.

When I cast my vote, I was NOT voting for PM or for the whole nation – I was voting for a local representative. The representative with the largest bloc of support wins (“simples!”).

It is the makeup & expressed will of PARLIAMENT that decides the Prime minister (subject of course, to the invitation of the Monarch).

There have been several times in the last 100 years that parliamentary parties have been split in who they chose to support during a parliament. David Lloyd George for example, at one time lost many of his liberal colleagues to opposition, but enjoyed wide support amongst conservatives (who have also split in the past, as have Labour – even to this day there is still Socialist Labour & another small Labour “flavour” out there).

It is only because in the post-war period, the big parties have held together in large part, that we are lulled into thinking that a vote for a local candidate wearing a particular badge is anything more than a vote for him or her. The electorate has little or NO CONTROL over a supposed monolithic national party; all you & I can hold to account is our MP. If we don’t like the way they act in parliament, we vote them out at the next election!!!

Our present FTTP system means there is a clear representative mandate that allows any number of candidates to put up in every constituency of our land. It also allows voters the freedom to be engaged, apathetic, or even tactical(!). It has been pointed out elsewhere that if the non-voters all voted, there would be no safe seats at all!

But more importantly, under this system a parliamentarian is free, and can in theory drop the party whip & support whoever (s)he pleases – as long as he remembers he is “being framed” if he does something stupid, & will have to face his electorate again!

End the tinkering talk, & let’s finish up House of Lord’s reform instead.