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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2017 18:29:50 GMT
This is the opportunity of changing how we govern ourselves:
Our current electoral system (FPTP) creates a system where a Large Minority of Voters decide who will represent us. In the last Federal election a MP in Quebec was elected with only 27% of the Ridings' Voters' support. This means that Parliament is only representing the Minority of Voters, at the COST of the Majority. The Majority of Voters have their Votes WASTED! This system BREEDS division and confrontation. You can observe our Government in action during "Question Period" and you can witness how NASTY it really gets. This environment that our current system creates of division and confrontation is ideal for the "Lobbyists of Corporations" to thrive. The old motto of "Divide and Conquer" (Conquer in the manner of WINNING a Majority Government with a Minority of Support) cannot be more relevant. Political Parties also benefit from this environment of "Divide and Conquer" as it separates one Party from another. Political Parties are designed to conquer (win) and to dominate, they do not play well with others of their kind. One can witness the Parties during Election Campaigns and the heavy use of "Negative Campaigns - with ATTACK ADS", these campaigns have the minimal of any real substance to them. The Attack Ads are more effective in dividing the Electorate than any campaign with any real substance to them (the "Attack Ads" are more for our benefit, as the candidates have to work together after the election anyway).
We say how these Attack campaigns are more show than anything else in the last Provincial election when Weaver and Horgan were attacking each other quit viciously in the debates. After the election they are best buddy's and form the Government together. These debates are scripted in order to divide the Electorate into taking sides without any real substance attached. Electoral Reform gives us the rare opportunity to END this poisonous environment once and for all. With a simple change of using the Ranked Ballot the whole system changes. The Ridings stay as they are in size and in electing a single MLA. The Voter simply ranks the candidates on the ballot, there are NO WASTED VOTES. The elected candidate needs a Majority of Voter support (minimum of 50%+1). The changes that this simple change makes;
1. Every Vote Matters - Even the Votes that DO NOT ELECT the candidate MATTERS. If the candidate is elected with a simple majority (50%+1) his opposition (in the Riding) is high and his mandate is weak, the candidate needs to be cautious in his actions or he could easily loose his next election. If the candidate is elected with a solid majority (55%+) he has a much stronger mandate and can act accordingly.
The requirement of having a Majority voter support means that the elected representative will need to find that balance of "Majority rule with Minority rights". Understanding this balance the representative can strengthen their Majority support in the next election OR failing to find this balance they can lose their Majority support completely. This is how the votes that do not elect a representative still matters.
2. Campaigns - The campaigns will need to be more civil with more real substance to them. Negative campaigns and Attack Ads will likely backfire on the candidate. The reason for this change in campaigns is that the candidate may not be a voter's 1st choice, but they want to be the voter's 2nd or 3rd choice. If the candidate ATTACKS a voter's 1st choice the voter will probably rank the candidate as their LAST CHOICE. In order to change the voter to make them their 1st choice, the candidate will need more SUBSTANCE in their campaign to encourage the voter to make them their 1st choice.
3. Accountability - With the candidate's need for a Majority of voter support is much more challenging to reach. The voters have much more authority to deny the candidate that Majority, if the voters are not satisfied with the candidate's representation.
4. Listening - The candidate and the party will need to actually learn how to LISTEN TO THE ELECTORATE. Presenting a set policy and telling the Electorate what each Party will do will not really go far. The Party will need to make room to adjust their policy to accommodate what the Electorate has to say. The Party that learns how to LISTEN well will have more ability to have a strong Majority of support. These changes go along way to create an environment of Peace & Cooperation. It UNITES the ELECTORATE and stops the divide and conquer mentality. The Electorate, with a united voice, can give clear direction to the government in how we are to be governed.
Electoral Reform gives us this rare and real opportunity to make some real changes.
IRV or Vote123 is a simple change to our Electoral System
and make real changes in how we are governed. |
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Post by Phil Johnson on Dec 31, 2017 4:48:37 GMT
The problem is not with HOW our representatives are elected, but rather that they are not allowed to represent us once in Victoria or Ottawa. The party system, dominated and controlled by the leader takes the freedom away from our elected representative.
The FPTP system allows for local people to elect who they want to represent us. This proportional representation will result in massive ridings and people being elected in such a complicated system that results will need to be tabulated by a computer that will make it impossible to know if the computers have been tampered with.
Our electoral system is not the problem. The parliamentary system needs to be reformed to take the power back out of the leaders office and back into the offices of our local representatives. One example. Let’s pretend that the NDP decide to can all the bridge tolls in the lower mainland, but add a 5 cent a liter gas tax to make up the difference. Would the NDP members out of the kootneys be able to represent their constituents who come screaming into their offices saying they don’t want to pay for bridges they never drive on? They need the freedom to say No, even if it is their party’s idea. That would not change with proportional rep. Just a hung parliament.
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Post by Admin on Dec 31, 2017 5:35:30 GMT
The problem is not with HOW our representatives are elected, but rather that they are not allowed to represent us once in Victoria or Ottawa. The party system, dominated and controlled by the leader takes the freedom away from our elected representative. The FPTP system allows for local people to elect who they want to represent us. This proportional representation will result in massive ridings and people being elected in such a complicated system that results will need to be tabulated by a computer that will make it impossible to know if the computers have been tampered with. Our electoral system is not the problem. The parliamentary system needs to be reformed to take the power back out of the leaders office and back into the offices of our local representatives. One example. Let’s pretend that the NDP decide to can all the bridge tolls in the lower mainland, but add a 5 cent a liter gas tax to make up the difference. Would the NDP members out of the kootneys be able to represent their constituents who come screaming into their offices saying they don’t want to pay for bridges they never drive on? They need the freedom to say No, even if it is their party’s idea. That would not change with proportional rep. Just a hung parliament.
Second; I totally agree with your issues that it is our Parties that are a major problem. We need to control the Parties authority. This is why I am totally against any form of Proportional Representation or what I call Party-Proportional. IRV is not Proportional Representation and it puts the electorate and the candidates in the driver`s seat and puts the Parties in the backseat. It begins the process of limiting the Parties authority. We also need to put an end to the `Party-whips`- they need to be illegal.
P.S.
It is not the Parliamentary system. We only have to look to our own Northwest Territories - since 1903 the NWT has not permitted Political Parties in their Legislature. Every election the MLAs are elected as `Independents`. With a newly elected Legislature the MLAs elect their Premier and Cabinet from among themselves. The executive branch is always in the minority in the Legislature and can only operate with the consent of the elected Legislature. |
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