[EM] lists

[Richard Lung]

Proportional representation has many election applications, sometimes in 
flat contradiction to each other (particularly in the case of the 
Additrional Member System). The pursuit of progress thru knowledge 
(usually called science) says that there is a right way out of all the 
wrong ways.

But in the past half-century, among reformers, there has been a notable 
pussy-footing on the application of the allegedly desired principle of 
proportional representation. This would offer a particular voting method 
that could be immediately legislated, as an agreed scientific method of 
democratic elections.

HG Wells explained this over a century ago (in The Elements of 
Reconstruction, 1916).

Since then, vested interests havemuddied the waters. Some have required 
a referendum on electoral reform (usually to stall the democratic 
method, not the undemocratic methods) which would require a knowledge of 
true election method to give a true result.

As Wells said, voting method is not a matter of opinion but a matter of 
demonstration.

A knowledgeable understanding of voting method requires that there is 
one truth, to aspire to, not many truths. We don’t follow the kinetic 
theory of vortices, from the authority of Descartes. We adhere to the 
gravity theory of Newton, because it, rather, has been demonstrated to 
be true.

A 2024 Welsh commission, a piece of one-party state fluff, asking people 
what they want, to tell them what they are going to get, namely a closed 
list Parliament, had the gall to call itself “representative democracy.”

It is the abolition of representative democracy, as the voters are not 
allowed to elect representatives, only parties. The academic Laura 
McAllister complained this was not the way to go to engaging the public 
in politics.

About 1978, Labour, backed by the Liberals, tried an open list, the 
Regional list for British Euro-elections, until they were made a fool 
of, in Parliament, by having to admit that the “open” list could elect a 
party list candidate with no personal votes.

That is why, in 1997, upon regaining office, Liberal-backed New Labour 
straight away passed an edict for a closed list to British 
Euro-elections. (A Labour leader of a Metropolitan Council commented, on 
BBC Panorama: We don’t have much say in the Labour Party.)

Regards,

Richard Lung.


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