Posts Tagged “proportional representation”
No, the Lib Dems are not being “saved” by first-past-the-post
by Stephen Tall on February 19, 2015
‘The Lib Dems have admitted that they are now relying on the first-past-the-post voting system to save them from a wipeout in May.’ (The Times) ‘… the Liberal Democrats will be saved from wipe out by the first-past-the-post system.’ (The Guardian) (…)
Eastleigh shows why the Tories and Labour should now support PR in local elections
by Stephen Tall on March 3, 2013
If only, if only… Instead of holding out for a referendum on the Alternative Vote the Lib Dem negotiators had secured proportional representation for all local council elections instead. Hindsight’s easy, I know. At the time of negotiating the Coalition Agreement, electoral reform at Westminster was the party’s deal-breaker. The Lib Dem vote had gone […]
I agree with Mark: The public did *not* reject proportional representation last year
by Stephen Tall on April 23, 2012
Mark Thompson makes an excellent point over at his blog here. He points out that those Conservative MPs who now oppose the Coalition Agreement commitment to elect the House of Lords using proportional representation because they claim last year’s referendum (…)
The 14 non-Lib Dem MPs who backed the Single Transferable Vote
by Stephen Tall on February 10, 2010
The House of Commons yesterday voted by 365 votes to 187 to hold a UK-wide referendum on changing the voting system next year from first-past-the-post to the alternative vote. The Lib Dems reluctantly voted for the alternative vote, as the most modest of improvements on the current, broken system.
But the party, in the person […]
Vince: financial markets have nothing to fear from hung parliament
by Stephen Tall on February 7, 2010
Here’s how the Financial Times reports it:
A hung parliament might frighten the markets, but according to Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, the concerns are “completely and totally irrational”.
The Lib Dems point out that many of the world’s leading economies, including Germany and Italy, hold elections that almost always produce results where the leading party […]
Huhne: AV “small step in right direction” BUT not proportional
by Stephen Tall on February 2, 2010
What is it about Labour? Why are they waiting til the dying days of their last government for X years to propose anything new and radical? Yesterday, LDV posted the news that Labour has, eventually, U-turned on non-doms, and agreed to Lib Dem proposals that they will no longer be able to sit in Parliament.
And […]
Déjà vu all over again: what the 1974 Liberal Party manifesto said
by Stephen Tall on January 29, 2010
This election will make or break Britain. It is already certain that the government that takes office after the election will face the greatest peace-time crisis we have known since the dark days of 1931… Before any government can begin to get to grips with the economic situation, it must regain the confidence and respect […]
First-Past-The-Post: the ’safe seats’ system that breeds lazy, corrupt MPs
by Stephen Tall on January 14, 2010
Calls for the First-Past-The-Post voting system to be abolished in the UK were given a real kick-start last year after it became clear – thanks to the work of Lib Dem blogger Mark Thompson – that it was MPs with large majorities who were more likely to be implicated in cheating the expenses system.
It’s […]
Over at Comment Is Free … Help save Labour with PR? No thanks
by Stephen Tall on December 1, 2009
I’ve an article published today at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free blog, entitled, Help save Labour with PR? No thanks – republished below. (For the record, though I’m perfectly happy with the headline, I baulk a little at the sub-ed-supplied (…)
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