Andy Burnham urged to change UK’s voting system before it’s 'too late'
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is poised to urge Andy Burnham to introduce proportional representation before the next general election, warning that failure to act could render it "too late".
Speaking at the Institute for Government on Tuesday, Sir Ed is expected to caution that Labour may find itself "powerless to do anything" to alter the voting system once the election has ended.
He will appeal directly to Mr Burnham to collaborate, asserting that if Mr Burnham is "serious about changing the way we do politics", then his "door is open" for discussions.
“Oh, I’m entirely with you there,” said Dalloway. “Nobody can condemn the utter folly and futility of such behaviour more than I do; and as for the whole agitation, well! may I be in my grave before a woman has the right to vote in England! That’s all I say.”
The solemnity of her husband’s assertion made Clarissa grave. “It’s unthinkable,” she said. “Don’t tell me you’re a suffragist?” she turned to Ridley.
“I don’t care a fig one way or t’other,” said Ambrose. “If any creature is so deluded as to think that a vote does him or her any good, let him have it. He’ll soon learn better.”
Virginia Woolf - The Voyage Out (1915)
Virginia Woolf - The Voyage Out (1915)
11 comments:
I vaguely recall that we had a referendum on this and voted "no". So that'll be two referenda that the scum wish to ignore.
People who cannot win under the old rules try to change the rules until they can. If the do manage to change the rules then they will soon find out the disadvantages of the new rules.
I suggest that proportional representation might be seen as a way of limiting populism and Reform. But PR that is rushed through will not last.
Amusing seeing this old one resurface and be dusted off. I have no dog in this race, though I do have private thoughts.
dearieme - yes we did vote "no" on this one. If he likes the idea, Burnham will probably claim to have a mandate for it, something to do with "our plan for change".
DJ - it must be an attractive idea for many Labour MPs as it gives them a better chance of holding onto their seats. With luck, the unexpected disadvantages will not be minor.
James - I have no dog in the race either, voters could vote more effectively now but they don't.
Well you all should care because the intention is to make it impossible for any radical government ever to be elected.
It’ll be done via some complex system that nobody quite understands, and the result will be a permanent monopoly for the Uniparty.
It's only to keep NF away from being PM. But it could well backfire as it will not just unite the left but also unite the right.
We have an election due in November in New Zealand and it is run on proportional lines. It is like trying to fill in the old football pools perming any 8 from 10. It results in having various coalitions busy talking to each other trying to stitch together a credible team and horse trading various bits of their programmes . There is no universal, satisfactory way of electing a government, they all have faults.
Peter - to my mind, unless voters wake up, electing a radical government is near enough impossible under our present system. Propaganda is too effective at moulding itself around natural inertia and voter self-interest.
I don't see a voting system change making much difference to that. Reform could demonstrate the power of first past the post eventually, but it is already being undermined and if elected will find its radicalism fading in the face of unreliable Reform MPs, obstruction, bureaucratic inertia and intense negative propaganda.
Woodsy - I think Davey is interested in embedding the Lib Dems more securely - that is to say, embedding his own position.
John - I agree, they all have faults. If voters can't vote pragmatically then the voting system can't change outcomes in a worthwhile way.
At the moment we have a LibDem MP where I live. But if we had PR a Tory/Reform coalition would easily win, from what I've read. Seems like a good idea - bring it on!
Anon - sounds like a plus, certainly better than a Lib Dem.
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