tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post7000837165628158388..comments2023-10-16T15:59:02.445+01:00Comments on NEIL HARDING: All Voting Systems Are Crazy (Except Mine).Neil Hardinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-10096288572197974452015-06-03T22:26:46.217+01:002015-06-03T22:26:46.217+01:00Yes, the Additional Member System as used in Germa...Yes, the Additional Member System as used in Germany (irony of ironies we designed this system for them and imposed it upon Germany so if it is good enough for the Germans then WHY is it not good enough for Britons to use?) : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_Germany and the same system in New Zealand (where it is called Mixed-Member Proportional) are good ones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_New_ZealandAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04708299476364578068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-52724414793153906802015-06-03T22:22:29.960+01:002015-06-03T22:22:29.960+01:00I agree. I think the British people as the AV refe...I agree. I think the British people as the AV referendum showed have an aversion to any electoral system which uses preferential or transferable voting. The No to AV were able to very successfully play on that and if we have a future referendum on PR and STV is the only option it could well be lost and if the chance for reform is lost again then that is it FOR ALL TIME. It is essential, therefore, to get the Electoral Reform Society and others to stop their obsession with STV and to just they are in favour of a more proportional system.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04708299476364578068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-3551923525056968232015-05-29T10:46:31.423+01:002015-05-29T10:46:31.423+01:00I like the idea of a "card voting" syste...I like the idea of a "card voting" system. But there is one problem I'm not sure people would accept. Do we really want Douglas Carswell outvoting 20% of MPs because UKIP got that in the party vote and he is their only MP? Is it really fair that one person wields that much power in parliament? It doesn't feel right to me. I like the idea of every MP having one vote in parliament. Much as I agree with your sentiment that it gives party proportionality. My system can deliver proportionality in a way I think voters could accept. They can see the results in black and white. MPs get the most votes in their county and are elected. Simple.Neil Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-62433913328001810082015-05-29T10:40:26.226+01:002015-05-29T10:40:26.226+01:00My problem with STV is that it hasn't helped I...My problem with STV is that it hasn't helped Ireland become a more equal country. It hasn't helped their parliament look like their electorate. It is still dominated by men and the middle classes. And party proportionality and simplicity do matter. We have to accept people rejected AV in a referendum partly because they didn't understand it. Now we may have an inept Yes campaign to blame for some of that. But I have struggled to explain AV to a layperson, how much harder to explain STV. Does it matter if voters don't understand the counting process? I think it does because we need people to fully trust what is going on. Preferential systems ask a lot of voters. Do we really have the knowledge to rank candidates in order. I mean do we know the candidates that well? Most of the time people vote by party afiliation because they haven't the time to find out about candidates. So party proportiinality is important and STV helps centrist parties but not those with more radical ideas. Sorry, but I've never been a fan of STV.Neil Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-24974828088906263422015-05-26T18:29:11.996+01:002015-05-26T18:29:11.996+01:00I agree we need to change the electoral system. We...I agree we need to change the electoral system. We shouldn't choose STV. It's not proportional, it's too complicated to be inclusive or transparent.<br />We should recognise that people vote for both Parties to form the Government and individuals to be the MP. They should have two votes so that they are able to do both. <br />It should be a proportional system and the candidates should be known to the local electorate, so we should have an election for the MP based on the single member constituency.<br /><br />Other PR systems you may like to consider include AMS used in Scotland and Wales, or if you dislike the party list MP aspect of this system, consider DPR Voting – with simple voting, counting and a proportional system based on single member constituencies<br />http://www.dprvoting.org<br />Stephen Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07461146330878704081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-85149134195217275422015-05-26T08:09:44.849+01:002015-05-26T08:09:44.849+01:00You are mistaken about STV because you are looking...You are mistaken about STV because you are looking at proportionality purely in terms of party. STV goes further than that. It takes power away from the party machines and places it in the hands of the voter, who can use it express opinions on issues within and across parties. STV produces a result that is broadly proportional in terms of opinion as a whole, on the issues that the voters themselves think important. If STV is too complicated to understand, how come the Irish have been coping with it quite happily for decades?peezedteehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08280444890826046800noreply@blogger.com