02-26-2011, 08:52 PM
This is aimed at British members of this forum.
Please get involved in changing the stupid, outdated and grossly unfair electoral system we have in this country. It was designed (or rather just developed by itself) hundreds of years ago and only suits a situation where there are two parties. This was fine up until the end of the Victorian age when there had generally only been two (Whigs/Tories - Liberals/Conservatives) parties/factions; but this had not been the case for a long time now.
Some of you may be bored with politics, cynical, can't be bothered etc., but if this opportunity to change things slips by; it may well be another generation that passes before the opportunity arises again. As it happens all you have to do is turn out to vote as normal in May for the local elections - you can cast your vote for changing the voting system itself on the same day.
This is an opportunity to have your say and influence things. People in this country are always whinging about everything but can rarely be bothered to do anything about it. Saying you are not really interested in politics or the constitution is no excuse for the usual indifference.
The decline of this great nation of ours is very directly linked to our stupid voting system. First past the post produces governments with minority support. This has been the case since the end of the last war. Thatcher, Blair etc. - they all got big majorities based upon around 40%, sometime less. And power being wielded by minority administrations produces crazy stuff like the Poll Tax and the invasion of Iraq etc. Add to that the fact that about 60% of MPs (of all parties) sitting in the Commons at present are there as minority representatives, i.e. the majority of their consitituents did NOT want them - but they get in anyway.
No member of parliament should be sure of a safe seat. Make the buggers work for your vote and their position. They should have to get 50%+ to deserve to represent their locality. Nobody should feel their vote is wasted, or there is no point bothering. AV deals with all of that plus the business of tactical voting.
Sign up here, get involved (it doesn't take much) and make sure you vote for change when the day arrives:
http://www.yestofairervotes.org/content/
And visit here:
http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/index.php
Please get involved in changing the stupid, outdated and grossly unfair electoral system we have in this country. It was designed (or rather just developed by itself) hundreds of years ago and only suits a situation where there are two parties. This was fine up until the end of the Victorian age when there had generally only been two (Whigs/Tories - Liberals/Conservatives) parties/factions; but this had not been the case for a long time now.
Some of you may be bored with politics, cynical, can't be bothered etc., but if this opportunity to change things slips by; it may well be another generation that passes before the opportunity arises again. As it happens all you have to do is turn out to vote as normal in May for the local elections - you can cast your vote for changing the voting system itself on the same day.
This is an opportunity to have your say and influence things. People in this country are always whinging about everything but can rarely be bothered to do anything about it. Saying you are not really interested in politics or the constitution is no excuse for the usual indifference.
The decline of this great nation of ours is very directly linked to our stupid voting system. First past the post produces governments with minority support. This has been the case since the end of the last war. Thatcher, Blair etc. - they all got big majorities based upon around 40%, sometime less. And power being wielded by minority administrations produces crazy stuff like the Poll Tax and the invasion of Iraq etc. Add to that the fact that about 60% of MPs (of all parties) sitting in the Commons at present are there as minority representatives, i.e. the majority of their consitituents did NOT want them - but they get in anyway.
No member of parliament should be sure of a safe seat. Make the buggers work for your vote and their position. They should have to get 50%+ to deserve to represent their locality. Nobody should feel their vote is wasted, or there is no point bothering. AV deals with all of that plus the business of tactical voting.
Sign up here, get involved (it doesn't take much) and make sure you vote for change when the day arrives:
http://www.yestofairervotes.org/content/
And visit here:
http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/index.php
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Ghostmojo / Howard Johnston[/size]
![[Image: A-TTLGAvatar-1-1.jpg]](http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d162/Ghostmojo/Argus%20-%20TTLG/A-TTLGAvatar-1-1.jpg)
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - "What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - "Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - "What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - "Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
