Craiglxviii
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No Craig, I mean I've often wondered about the alternative of PR. I have no real leaning for or against, I just wonder. But I heard someone quoting numbers the other day and if the maths were right, under PR (i.e.: taking the number of votes cast) the Greens for example would have 25 MPs while they currently have 1 under the existing first past the post system.
When you talk about dictators I also recall a commentary about the massive lawlessness in Iraq when Saddam went underground (before he was found and dealt with). The commentator said that all the time he was in power, everyone knew some people were unsafe because they were on his blacklists etc but generally there was a high measure of normal safety and people abided by the law etc and that only went down the tubes when the regime completely crumbled (and of course the Western forces were not prepared to set up a new government etc).
I tried explaining this to the Banned Member with little success.
The current FPTP system we have is what is termed "progressive". That is, the MP elected for whichever constituency is the member for all the constituents regardless of their political leanings. The constituents vote for a specific member NOT a party so each candidate can focus their campaign to the hustings towards making things personal for them. Any constituent can approach their MP and request an issue be raised in the House. The MP is duty bound to raise it regardless of his or her party. That also means that a Member can be directly held to account by any candidate over his or her behaviour.
PR on the other hand is a "regressive" system. Constituents vote for a party and not a specific member. The party chooses the member to send to a constituency.
What it means is that under FPTP, members are accountable to their constituents first and their party second. Under PR, it's exactly reversed with the constituents having minimal ability to hold their member to account.
So, I don't know about you but I don't fancy any party being unaccountable directly to the immediate local electorate. Do you?
As regards dictatorships, just like TPLACs they can be absolutely fine places to live as long as one obeys the rules (which may be different to laws).