Divide The Right: A rallying call for a proportionately represented Ontario
May 20, 2007 · By Joel
Thomas Walkom (not usually a must-link read for me, I’ll admit) outlines the really important point about the move to introduce PR* in Ontario:
What the dreamers too often forget, however, is that changing the rules changes everything. If proportional representation had been in play in the last provincial election, there is no guarantee that the NDP would have won 15 per cent of the votes cast.
Indeed, there is no guarantee that the NDP, in its current form, would have existed.
Most of the media focus w/r/t the PR debate has been about the way it would affect the distribution of votes among the parties as presently constituted. But if PR is introduced, we will likely see different parties emerge.
I’m opposed to PR because I think the polite fiction that we vote for the man not the party is an important one, and because PR tends to increase government spending.
Nonetheless, if the voters of Ontario in their somewhat-less-than-infinite wisdom, decide that future elections should be contested under a PR system, let me be the first to call for the Harris wing of the provincial PC party to split off and let the pale-pink John Tory wing battle the Liberals for an ever-shrinking centrist vote.
Though I am not hopeful that PR will produce conservative public policy, at least we can hope that it might produce a genuinely conservative party.
* Technically, MMP.
PR is a scam to help socialists get elected.
PR is NOT democracy.
One person one vote is…!
PR is all about electing more politicians and their friends and family are the ones who will benefit most, think 2 or 3 times the politicians we have now, is that what we want?
PR is all about diluting the popular vote, we will end up with dozens of political parties, the majority of which ..will be left-leaning..we all know and have seen how the left votes as a block.
Essentially … PR is BACK_DOOR socialism, they can’t get elected on their nationalize this-nationalize that mandate..so.. skewer the system, dilute the right-wing vote, propagandise the electorate into believing
MORE politicians will somhow make things better.
Ps…PR will not solve the problem of politicians LYING through their teeth..!
One person one vote doesn’t work when you use the riding system because of population distributions within areas. The end result is that the one vote means more or less depending where one lives. I prefer the STV as advocated in BC which gives each voter a choice and every vote is counted equally.
“By the time of the 2002 election, the Alliance had fractured over New Zealand’s role in the Afghanistan war.”
Another reason to oppose PR: when a serious set of events unfolds and the government needs to make quick, sensible decisions, you can count on a coalition government (and don’t fool yourself, all PR governments are a coalition) to fall apart and make no decisions at all.
Martin … you mean much like our current minority where the opposition parties “in the name of democracy and the will of the people” operate as a “government” until a confidence vote is taken. This tactic leaves the CPC as the governing party in the position of implementing policies that they don’t believe in. In the event of the need for quick action the decision is made if “no action” is taken. Eventually the population will see the error of their ways and vote in a majority (I hope and trust!!)
A year or so ago I would have thought that the next majority in Canada would be the Liberals again, and that the Conservative minority was more of an ice-breaker after years of wandering through the wilderness. Harper et al have performed remarkably well under the circumstances in my opinion, and I’d say that as things currently are they stand a better than average shot at re-election, quite possibly as a majority government. My current (admittedly weak) prediction is a failed confidence vote some time late this year or early next year, in time for a spring election. Listen for Liberal rumblings next time the opinion polls show the Conservatives sliding.
[...] strides in helping the environment. But in doing so, she has highlighted the failure of the… Divide The Right: A rallying call for a proportionately represented Ontario— ThePolitic.com May 21 19:32 Thomas Walkom (not usually a must-link read for me, I’ll [...]
I support the PR system because as it is, the system is not representative. Many voters feel they are “wasting their vote” unless they vote Liberal or Conservative.
If the public is left-wing, they will vote left-wing. If they are right-wing, they will vote right-wing.
That seems fair to me. If you do not like the way people vote, then convince the public of your point of view.