tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post823390801069459253..comments2024-03-27T16:39:43.522+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Distinctive policies and proportional representationJonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-12859842007600936742010-12-19T17:41:23.521+00:002010-12-19T17:41:23.521+00:00I thought that one of the arguments against PR was...I thought that one of the arguments against PR was that PR would lead to more commies and nazis. The middle would become empty.<br /><br />Support PR; oppose AV.Skinny Dipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12818163310102120130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-90059686124942421962010-12-18T08:53:12.836+00:002010-12-18T08:53:12.836+00:00In May 2009 I sent William Hague an open letter, c...In May 2009 I sent William Hague an open letter, complaining about some silly remarks on PR he made on question time. He never bothered to reply. See http://herbeppel.blogspot.com/2009/09/proportional-representation.htmlHerbert Eppelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16815564659997057251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-35357802138167539702010-12-13T22:13:58.565+00:002010-12-13T22:13:58.565+00:00I once took a night ferry from Stockholm to Helsin...I once took a night ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. There was a choice between two ferries of competing companies, one leaving five minutes after the other. I once asked a friend, who is an economist, why that was and he explained that it made sense: there is an ideal (i.e. max. profit) departure time and it makes sense for both ferries to leave at that very time, even if together they could cater for more passangers would their ships leave at different times. Had there been a third company, it would probably do best to leave a lot earlier or later.<br /><br />It's not exactly the same in politices but kind of: with two parties, both try to win votes in the middle so they end up becoming very similar to one other. With more parties, it suddenly pays off to be make oneselves distinctive. So yes, in general I would say that PR will lead to a bigger variety of parties.<br /><br />"Do voters abroad accept this sort of behaviour on the part of junior coalition parties because they are more used to coalitions"<br /><br />In the Netherlands parties announce certain view points as dealbreakers, other things as just very important. If a party announced a certain policy is a dealbreaker and than signs a coalition agreement that went against that policy, that can give reactions as hostile as the LibDems got over tuition fees. (Though it depends on the kind of issue. Tuition fees is probably more sensitive than other issues and students tend to be louder protesters too.) I think the main problem with the LibDems' pledge on tuition fees is that it wasn't clear, not even to people within the party, whether this was a dealbreaker.martijnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03463307000398178175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-37530745912713515332010-12-13T21:52:19.961+00:002010-12-13T21:52:19.961+00:00I think people understand the need for compromise ...I think people understand the need for compromise - but also expect personal integrity, which is why people are so annoyed that LD candidates made personal pledges to do one thing and then did another. If the position was negotiable then it was a real mistake to advertise it as a dividing line between yourselves and other parties.<br /><br />In general countries with PR have more parties. Usually it's basically far right, right, left, far left and greens. Most countries with PR have no centre party - even germany that does have a liberal party that party is very clearly a party of the neo-liberal right.<br /><br />My impression is that PR drives up political debate because the parties themselves are no longer brad churches.Jim Jeppshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17410387006098326671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-17415111826569669622010-12-13T21:02:13.846+00:002010-12-13T21:02:13.846+00:00If we've got a genuine red line policy then we...If we've got a genuine red line policy then we should advertise that this is the case. Otherwise we should just say that we want to get a maximum of our policies through, strike whatever deal achieves this and make clear that everything without a red line under it is up for negotiation.Andrew Chamberlainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09893317960054240423noreply@blogger.com