<B><I>James Gilmour <jgilmour@globalnet.co.uk></I></B> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Hi, James:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN> </div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;
TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I would NOT recommend any voting system that elected the members in two such different ways. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I anticipated that this would be the thrust of your reply. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:
Arial">It is a recipe for<BR>potential trouble, particularly if the district representatives are predominantly from the two largest parties<BR>(inevitable with 2-member districts) and the national list members are from the smaller parties, <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wouldn't this provide balance, mitigating the power of the two largest parties even if it did not allow for easy decision-taking? <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div
class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">and especially so if<BR>the larger parties from the government and the smaller parties are all in the opposition. That's what we've got in<BR></SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Scotland</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> and that's why we have so much trouble with MMP in our Parliament which doesn't arise elsewhere (or at least, not to the same extent).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt;
DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I was (am) under the impression that the MMP system adopted by </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New Zealand</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> has proven to be a boon to their elections. Is that not the case? Is MMP less successful in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Scotland</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> than in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New Zealand</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">? If so, why?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;
TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Paul Harris, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission of New Zealand, writes: "The way in which </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New Zealand</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> changed to MMP is not a blueprint for the ways other countries should embark on a similar change. The history, traditions and politics of </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New Zealand</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">'s parliamentary democracy heavily influenced that change, just as other countries' histories, traditions and politics influence the ways they go about making significant constitutional changes. Nonetheless, it is possible that </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt;
FONT-FAMILY: Arial">New Zealand</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">'s example might offer some useful lessons for other countries which might contemplate changing their voting system." (See: http://www.aceproject.org/main/english/ei/eiy_nz01.htm)<BR><BR>All members of the Knesset (and the Scottish Parliament!) should be elected on the same basis and all should be directed accountable to the local voters.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">My tendency is to think that given Israeli politicians' historical obliviousness of the fact that they should be directly answerable to the electorate (PM Yitzhchak Shamir's outrageous statement articulates their general attitude), a system that reins them in will do us nothing but good.<BR><BR><BR>> It would also demolish the
small, specific interest-based <BR>> parties that have often held entire governments up for ransom <BR>> with the threat of leaving a narrow coalition. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">At what point does small parties' mitigation of the power of the major parties become "holding the gov't up for ransom"?<BR><BR>Some adjustment in this direction in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Israel</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> would seem desirable (!!),<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Exclamation points well-taken. :0)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div
class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">With STV-PR you could have districts electing, say, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 members, with size being related to the various "natural communities" and to population distribution (urban v. rural).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Providing that gerrymandering had not been carried out to too great an extent.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 12pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Thanks again, James.<BR><BR>Doreen<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal dir=ltr style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; DIRECTION: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><o:p><FONT
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