'the public aren't interested in PR'

[weltweit]

This member of the public is not interested in PR, why should the smallest parties get such a boost in their influence that they are able to become kingmakers. Sure the Lib Dems like the idea. tough It will not happen!

 

[articul8]

yes, like parties can't play kingmaker under FPTP - John Major certainly didn't depend on the UUP to survive...

 

[caroline1973]

surely PR is preferable to a generation of tory government elected on under 50% of support.

anyone who thinks PR will lead to more right wing policies please explain to me how come most countries with PR (ie most of Europe, no?) have more left wing policies than UK and US (which also has FPTP?).

i also think that with PR there are interesting coalitions that could open up on the left (eg with the greens, who have moved to the left of labour).

this might be a long shot but its not nearly as long a shot as the left reclaiming labour or getting elected under its own guns.

 

[Azrael]

Switzerland are not alone [...]

I was referring to their system of direct democracy, not PR. So far as I know the Swiss use it the most, although Ireland and the State of California also make extensive use of referenda.

Maybe the Scandinavian countries are happy. Denmark is small and, so far as I'm aware, settled country. We've a nation of 60 million people split about all kinds of things. We have a thousand-year-old adversarial tradition. PR and its endless coalitions will drive controversy out of public life altogether -- the main three parties are already very close -- and will probably fuel extremism of all kinds.

 

[lobster]

I was referring to their system of direct democracy, not PR. So far as I know the Swiss use it the most, although Ireland and the State of California also make extensive use of referenda.

Maybe the Scandinavian countries are happy. Denmark is small and, so far as I'm aware, settled country. We've a nation of 60 million people split about all kinds of things. We have a thousand-year-old adversarial tradition. PR and its endless coalitions will drive controversy out of public life altogether -- the main three parties are already very close -- and will probably fuel extremism of all kinds.

We currently have endless parties , coalitions are just bringing them together .. I personally don't see what's wrong with that... I think your getting the wrong end of the stick with what coalitions actually are... they are not I-will-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine . Coalitions are not full of parties that demand their wants and needs to be met in order for them to form...

Extremism in the form we saw in the EU elections was just protest voting... I seriously think people are over exaggerating the BNP's two MEP seats win. I think the protests we have seen from the hope not hate campaign especially throwing eggs at Nick Griffin is a disgrace... They won those two seats fair and square ... in fact too many people could not be bothered to vote so a society deserves what it gets...
If the BNP won the general elections , then maybe I would be different.. but remember we have clear separation of powers in place for a nazi style regime to be very difficult to implement , it would need the executive , legislature , judiciary and then prime minister to agree to approve the concentration camps and turn on the gas chambers...

The far-right in Europe don;t have much luck as they don't evenagree with many things...

Boycotting the FPTP Westminster election's I don't have a problem with because things are not going change as far as which party will win....

I hope that's made things a bit easier to understand...