[EM] U.K. Voting Systems, 3rd edition
Wiseman, Julian
julian.wiseman at csfb.com
Mon Jul 5 02:14:45 PDT 1999
Just for the record, many people (myself included) do not believe that
single-member plurality is "ANTI-DEMOCRATIC", whether whispered or shouted.
Majoritarian systems prevent power being passed from the ballot box to the
negotiating table; and simple systems are widely understood and provide a
clear link from constituent to representative. Whilst I don't believe SMP is
optimal (my preference can be found via
http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/electsys.html), SMP is far from pessimal,
and has served two countries well for centuries. Gerrymandering can be
avoided by depoliticising boundary commissions (as in the UK); and elections
can be made fairer by capping campaign spending (perhaps a more complicated
constitutional change).
If the UK switches, it is for domestic political reasons entailing a split
in the Labour Party and an alliance of the right of that with the Liberal
Democrats. Any Prime Minister who spends the taxpayers' cash on supporting
his side of a referendum campaign (in a word, cheating) has motivations
other than democracy itself. (And as for his attempt to impose a Hindenburg
solution on Northern Ireland by allowing a private army to take power,
please don't ask how that is pro-democratic.)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DEMOREP1 at aol.com [SMTP:DEMOREP1 at aol.com]
> Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 12:57 AM
> To: FairVote at compuserve.com; ban at igc.apc.org;
> elections-reform at igc.apc.org; civic-values at civic.net;
> canada-votes at egroups.com; election-methods-list at eskimo.com
> Subject: [EM] U.K. Voting Systems, 3rd edition
>
> The below Research Paper pdf file shows how primitive (i.e. in the
> political
> barbarian Dark Ages) the ANTI-DEMOCRATIC plurality- single member district
>
> gerrymander system is for electing legislative bodies in Canada, India,
> U.K.
> and the U.S.A and any other similar areas.
> -------
> http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp98/rp98.htm
> has a link to----
> -------------
> [U.K. House of Commons Library]
>
> RESEARCH PAPER 98/113
> 14 DECEMBER 1998
>
> Voting Systems - The Government's Proposals (3rd revised edition)
>
> [Summary]
>
> This Paper seeks to draw together the Government's proposals for new
> systems
> of voting for the European Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh
> National Assembly, the new Northern Ireland Assembly and the Greater
> London
> Authority. It discusses common themes related to those elections. It also
> summarises the proposals of the Jenkins Commission which has recommended
> an
> alternative system to First Past the Post so that a referendum can be held
>
> during the lifetime of this Parliament on a new voting system for the
> House
> of Commons. Finally the possibility of a new voting system for local
> government is briefly discussed. This Paper replaces Research Paper 98/80.
>
> More detailed consideration of voting systems is given in Research Paper
> 98/112 Voting Systems: The Jenkins Report. This Paper is designed so that
> each section can be used separately as a guide to the voting procedures of
>
> the relevant institution, and so there is an unavoidable element of
> repetition.
>
> Oonagh Gay
> HOME AFFAIRS SECTION
> Bryn Morgan
> SOCIAL AND GENERAL STATISTICS SECTION
> HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY
>
> --- Summary of main points
>
> The Government introduced Bills in the 1997-8 Session to create new
> voting
> systems for the European Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and
> the
> Scottish Parliament. There are some common themes which are explored
> briefly
> in the introduction to this Paper. A closed list system is intended for
> the
> European Parliament and for the additional member aspect of the Additional
>
> Member System (AMS) proposed for the National Assembly and the Scottish
> Parliament. In effect electors vote for a party rather than an individual
> candidate. Greater attention focuses on party candidate selection
> procedures,
> and all the major parties have been reviewing their systems for the new
> types
> of elections expected in 1999. The role of MEPs, and members of the
> National
> Assembly for Wales, and the Scottish Parliament may undergo review
> following
> the introduction of party lists. In addition legislation to create the new
>
> Northern Ireland Assembly has meant that another form of PR, the Single
> Transferable Vote, is being used for a devolved assembly in that province.
> At
> Second Reading of the European Parliamentary Election Bill, the Home
> Secretary promised to review the possibility of an open list system on the
>
> Belgian model, but a final decision was announced before Commons Report
> stage
> that the closed list system would be used. 84 MEPs will be elected under a
>
> Regional List System. Scotland and Wales will form one single electoral
> system each, and England will be divided into nine regions, each with
> between
> 4-11 MEPs. Single Transferable Vote (STV) for Northern Ireland is
> preserved.
> The Bill was finally lost after the Commons and Lords could not agree on
> closed and open lists. A new Bill has been introduced, which is identical
> to
> the 1997-8 one and which is discussed in Research Paper 98/102 The
> European
> Parliamentary Elections Bill The Additional Member System is planned for
> elections to the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Assembly.
> The
> elector has two votes, one for a constituency MP and one for an additional
>
> member selected from party lists for a electoral region. In Wales there
> will
> be 40 constituency members and 20 additional members. In Scotland there
> will
> be 73 constituency members and 56 additional members. At present closed
> lists
> will operate for the Additional Member aspect and the Government has no
> plans
> to introduce open lists. In Northern Ireland 108 Members, 6 for each
> Parliamentary constituency, have been elected using STV. The Greater
> London
> Authority Bill is expected to have its second reading on 14 and 15
> December
> 1998. It will introduce an AMS system for the elections of Assembly
> members
> and Supplementary Vote (SV) will be used for the election of a Mayor for
> London. Elections are expected in May 2000. The Government promised in its
>
> manifesto for the 1997 election that it would set up an independent
> commission to recommend an appropriate proportional voting system to First
>
> Past the Post (FPTP) for the House of Commons. A referendum would then be
> held to allow voters a choice between the two systems. An independent
> commission under Lord Jenkins was announced in December 1997, and reported
> in
> October 1998. It proposed a version of AMS, using the Alternative Vote in
> the
> constituency element and with 15-20 per cent of the seats elected on an
> open
> list system, to be known as Top-up Members. It is not yet clear when the
> referendum will be held. Further detail on the Jenkins report is given in
> Research Paper 98/112 Voting Systems: The Jenkins Report.
>
> Related Library Research Papers include:
>
> 98/118 The Greater London Authority Bill: Electoral and Constitutional
> 11.12.98
> Aspects Bill 7 of 1998-99
> 98/115 The Greater London Authority Bill [Bill 7 of 1998-9] 11.12.98
> 98/112 Voting Systems: The Jenkins Report 09.12.98
> 98/102 The European Parliamentary Elections Bill [Bill 4 of 1998-9]
> 01.12.98
> 98/76 The Northern Ireland Bill: Implementing the Belfast Agreement
> 20.07.98
> [Bill No 229]
> 98/62 The Registration of Political Parties Bill [Bill 188 of 1997-8]
> 01.06.98
> 98/57 Northern Ireland: Political Developments since 1972 11.05.98
> 98/1 The Scotland Bill: Devolution and Scotland's Parliament 07.01.98
> 97/129 The Government of Wales Bill: Devolution and the National 04.12.97
> Assembly
> 97/120 The European Parliamentary Elections Bill [Bill 65 of 1997-98]
> 19.11.97
> 97/114 The Greater London Authority (Referendum) Bill 06.11.97
> [Bill 61 of 1997-98]
> ----
> The below 1999 reports continue the above-- at
>
> http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99.htm
>
> 99/64 Elections to the European Parliament - June 1999 18. 06. 99
>
> 99/57 European Parliament Elections - 1979 to 1994 02. 06. 99
>
> 99/54 Institutional Reform in the European Union 20. 05. 99
>
> 99/52 The Local Elections of 6 May 1999 11. 05. 99
>
> 99/51 Welsh Assembly Elections: 6 May 1999 11. 05. 99
>
> 99/50 Scottish Parliament Elections: 6 May 1999 11. 05. 99
>
> 99/46 Local Elections - Proposals for Reform 28. 04. 99
>
> 99/7 The House of Lords Bill: Lords reform and wider constitutional reform
>
> [Bill 34 of 1998-99] 28. 01. 99
>
> 99/6 The House of Lords Bill : Options for "Stage Two" [Bill 34 of
> 1998-99]
> 28. 01. 99
>
> 99/5 The House of Lords Bill :"Stage One" Issues [Bill 34 of 1998-99]28.
> 01.
> 99
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