How you gonna vote

I don't think coalitions are necessarily a bad thing - the one in Scotland between the LidDems and Labour is doing reasonably well; at least there's no tuition fees!

 

The other thing to keep in mind with the upper/lower house thing is that usually when an election is held, it is for all lower house seats and half the upper house seats, providing some time lag for the Senate. Serves as a sort of partial safe guard against a parliament being driven by a large single issue.

Yet another contrast between Aus and UK is that we have state governments in between the Federal government and local government/councils. Interestingly, all states and territories currently have Labour governments whilst the Liberal/National coalition is dominant federally. Local council politics appears to be less influenced my party politics, 'though not totally devoid of it.

When it comes down to it, I'm fundamentally reticent to see a governemnt given total control over the legislative mechanism. No one government should ever be allowed to act without some sort of restraining mechanism - preferably chains and electro shock collars...

Regards,

Stuart.

 

when Thatcher was in control of central government, it was also possible for her to abolish the GLC (London's regional government). The re-emergence of the Scottish Parliament has co-incided with some modicum of constitutional legitimacy for regional government across the UK as a whole. The peculiarity of the UK system is that 'all sovereignty is vested in Parliament', making for an 'elected dictatorship. Ironically, entry into the EU is providing a framework for sub-national checks on that tyranny (to use a technical term) and we may yet be citizens and not just subjects!

 

We do use a version of PR for the Scottish Parliament. This was agreed among the parties who co-operated to campaign for the return of the Parliament - it not having met since 1707!

Had there been a first past post system it was highly likely that Labour would have overwhelming majority built in and minorities would have no representation. To give you the flavour from the General (first past post) Election:
Labour 41
Lib Dem 11
SNP 6
Conservative 1

It was deliberate policy by the Labour Party in Scotland to go for a more consensual electoral system, that currently has the following representation of the 129 MSPs:

Labour 50 (46)
LibDem 17 (13)
SNP 27 (9)
Cons 18 (3)
Green 7 (0)
SSocP 6 (0)
others 4 (1)

The PR system has 73 of these 129 elected directly in each of 73 constituencies and 56 added from regional lists to reflect proportionality of votes cast. I have put the 'direct' MSPs in brackets (above).

So Labour has 46 of the 73 directly elected MSPs, and would have therefore commanded a vast majority, in which the MSPs from the central belt of Scotland would have been in government; the PR system means that Labour has 50 of the total 129 MSPs and in coalition with the LibDems leads a working majority government with 67 of the 129.

 

I know they might not be everyone's cuppa, but surely abolishing them is a bit harsh?

 

I voted Lib Dem in every election since 2001, and Monster Raving Loony in 1997. I remember seeing a Party Political Broadcast by Lib Dem in (1987??) where they had Conservative and Labour politicians on a see-saw, saying how nothing will change while it's those two parties always getting in. Made me think, and I remembered it.

Tony Blair is a lying sack of shit, and everyone knows it. Why the hell people still voted for him instead of voting Lib Dem or Green is beyond me. Anyone who whinges about the crapness of Britain over the next 4 years, yet didn't vote, is likely to get a fat lip from me. No vote, no voice.

And Hobson's Choice in this fiasco ain't an option I like, thank you very much.

BTW - Maggie Thatcher is a soul-less dimwit who did more damage for Britain than anything else. She'd be the sort of heartless bitch TO abolish the Welsh GLC. When she dies I'm breaking out the bubbly and having a street party.