First past the post, with single member constituencies, for a constituency with geographical-socio-economic homogeneity , is the current system of electing the Westminster parliament. Be not afraid, these thoughts are not going to degenerate into a technical exposition of voting systems and their advantages and drawbacks; you all know where to go for that kind of thing.
This voting system is the best to be had. It is well understood. It is clear in its verdict. It offers the option of either voting for what you do want, or voting against what you do not - whichever seems more important to you at the time. Best of all, it is local: constituencies are small enough to enable all candidates to make themselves known to their electorate, and for the electorate to make themselves (and their interests and concerns) known to the candidates.
It will come as no surprise to read that this clear, effective, local and personalized voting system is the object of diverse destructive manoeuvres by political parties. The imposition of centrally approved candidates by parties not particularly democratic in their internal structures, most of all the Labour party with whole powerful sectors excluding non-unionised people from having a say, but the others as well by more informal means, is the first. Then there is the brutally bullying whipping system applied in the Parliament itself, so that only the Party view is represented, leaving those whose constituency has elected a member of another party wholly, and most improperly, without representation; which undermines the entire purpose of a local representative of everyone and all interests from a particular locality.
The entire political caste, regardless of party, united to render candidature much more difficult and expensive for a non-party nominee, just at the moment the possibilities of internet, personalised, locally tailored politics began to emerge.
Nevertheless, should we have the good fortune to arrive at a general election ever again, and the voting system still be the potential paragon of democratic virtue we enjoyed last time, in my constituency in inner London I shall consider the candidates and their offerings closely, look at any record they have, check out their associates and supporters, and vote for the person most likely to serve the interests of Holborn and St Pancras. For a start a secondary school open to all families' children is needed south of the Euston road. And we don't like our GP services being sold off to private investors in National Health provision either. And we don't like our constituency carved up and its settled population driven out, for creating a London University (the University of London in all its diversity is just fine), for housing Olympic moguls, and for corrupt profit-taking.
It might be best if the proudest and most successful political label any candidate can wear is Independent (Holborn and St Pancras), or whatever name your constituency bears.
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8 comments:
First past the post, in my constituency, means that whatever I vote, I'll always get the same result: a Labour placeman.
... and one who lives in London, even though he may have purchased some perfunctory property in Birmingham. Much of our political class is like Jamaican plantation owners permanently whooping it up back in Blighty.
Tomorrow I will go out to vote in Florence without the faintest idea who might be my member of parliament. On this occasion it is made very easy because the decision is to vote for the most likely party to keep out Berlusconi. That is the central, over-riding objective so I will vote for the Democratic Party led by Veltroni. I would have liked to vote for Mr di Pietro's party but my vote will doubtless go to help elect some former communist party hack who has enough pull to get first or second place in the party list in a city as important as Florence with a big communist vote.
At least the system in the UK notionally provides the chance of organising against the political elites - not here, not ever. My vote may carry more 'weight' but then it's not used by me, all I can do is give it to them and they decide what to do with it.
The Liberals plot to remove our democracy and support Brown I hear their scratching in the darkness their furtive whispers and girlish cackle. It has worried me for a long time and is part of the slow but mortal fight being waged over the soul of England ..Scotland , Liberals , the small players will be crucial. I read the other day that there were threat of armed resistance in Italy over changes made by the left to the electoral system which set me thinking.
Incidentally I am certain there was an Independent Conservative MP for Holborn and St. Pancras and I had a copy of his leaflets but I cannot find it . The area became home to Gerry Healy the disgusting rapist and hard left gangster …The only person to attend his funeral was …Ken Livingstone
Natch
You did a fascinating post on him (the Holborn and St Pancras independent) though it was called Marylebone then, I seem to remember. There is a photo of his wife with smooth, waved hair and a robust, fair-haired baby, whose cut glass REP (hers not infant's) can be heard even without sound.
You have to be right N about election process manipulation. Even if Brown collapsed tomorrow there is the horrid Strawman and his constitutional fix ups awaiting us anyway.
Your remarks on marriage, and its status and undermining, started a train of thought on misunderstandings about what marriage is. But I'll have to look again at old books and notes from long ago.
Oh Thankyou I looked for that for ages ...Marylebone , thats it
Being allowed to vote in both the UK and Italian general elections cannot be right. Perhaps this is something the EU should fix.
The European Union would like to fix it by having us all voting for the european parliament, and voting for our European regions. They're not fond of the nation state.
Any British subject over 18, not in prison, a lord, the monarch, or mad, is entitled to vote in their constituency, or in the constituency where they last voted for up to, (I think) 7 years after leaving the UK. It may be longer.
Marriage brings entitlements, as it always has, that all its substitutes and replacements do not.
You want to vote in Italy in a general election, anon? Find a spouse from that country. I can't speak for spouse-finding from other countries because there is a remarkably strong taboo on polygamy or polyandry in my acquired country so all the rest is terra incognita.
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