Electoral Systems Flashcards
How representative is STV?
NORTHERN IRISH ASSEMBLY 2017
DUP - 28% OF VOTE = 28 SEATS OUT OF 90
Should FPTP be abandoned?
points
undemocratic and not proportional
allows powerful and decisive government
safe seats
accountability
Should FPTP be abandoned?
undemocratic
YES 1 - FPTP UNDEMOCRATIC AND NOT PROPORTIONAL
-in 1979, Thatcher won a 144 seat majority with just 41% of the popular vote. ex
COUNTER - AV REFERENDUM REJECTION
-2011 AV referendum rejected further electoral reform by 68% on a turnout of just 42%
Should FPTP be abandoned?
decisive government
NO 1 - ALLOWS GOVERNMENT TO ACT DECISIVELY WHEN NECESSARY
- FPTP is a system which produces a government with a majority allowing them to fill out the manifesto commitments on which they were elected.
- Also, in times of emergency MPs can act as necessary such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 which allowed control orders of suspects (notably the Belmarsh 8) and allowed prisoners to be held for 92 days whilst the security services gathered case info.
- Critics would say this allows a government/PM to become dictatorial and simply act as they wish.
Should FPTP be abandoned?
safe seats
YES 2 - SAFE SEATS
-”safe seats” are constituencies where it is almost certain the pre-existing candidate will retain their position. In 2015 the Electoral Reform Society estimated 368 out of 650 were safe seats. The society estimates 25.7 million people live in these safe seats. Meaning the parties do not need to pay attention to the seats and making the MPs largely unaccountable for their actions as they have virtually no chance of losing their seat next time around.
However, some suggest this stops small “extremist” parties breaking into the political spectrum
-Largely this is not important
Should FPTP be abandoned?
accountability
NO 2 - ACCOUNTABILITY
- Alternative proportional representation electoral systems would promote multiple candidates for each constituency. Currently, MPs enjoy a close relationship with their constituency and it is regular for MPs to consult constituents on Friday. Allows constituency representation such as Cheryl Gillan MP for Amersham and Chesham resigning over HS2 proposals
- Following the Recall of MPs act 2015. If 10% of the registered electorate in a constituency signed a petition a by-election would be triggered.
-However, some say that in 2010, 2015 and 2017 with no clear electoral winner the times are changing and so is a new system e.g. Lib Dems made an manifesto commitment to cut uni fees when they rose in the 2010 coalition making accountability was difficult
are referendums good or bad?
points
decisive decision
too complex
politically engage the public
tyranny of the majority
are referendums good or bad?
decisive decision
GOOD 1 - PROVIDE DECISIVE DECISION
- public becoming increasingly disillusioned with party politics and committing to entire manifestos and instead are concerned with single issue policy
- e.g. Following the Scottish Referendum being rejected by 55% in 2014 Alex Salmond noted that the issue had been settled ‘for a generation’
- Also the case with the 2011 AV referendum being rejected by 68% to 32% perhaps more alarming was the turnout being low at 42% showing this really wasn’t an issue that concerned the public so the Commons moved on accordingly.
- COUNTER - not the case following the 2016 EU referendum
- However, this is a rarity and many would suggest this is because of the questionable Leave campaign and the back tracking on the £350 million extra the NHS would receive. Furthermore, this was accepted by the majority of people. David Cameron had fought as a Remainer and to show his acceptance for the result he resigned as Prime Minister. Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May were also remainers and whilst neither resigned they both dropped their campaign and voted for Article 50 when it came to the Commons.
are referendums good or bad?
too complex
BAD 1 - TOO COMPLEX
Public not able to critique political pledges. This was the ugliest element of the 2016 referendum when the Remain camp scared voters with ‘Project Fear’ (warning people of the economic damage Brexit would cause) and Vote Leave advertising on buses that Brexit would see £350m a week invested into the NHS - serious backtracking has happened on this since the vote.
However, this is arguably a patronising argument and exaggerates the gullibility of the public. Plenty of people voted with confidence and used services such as the BBC’s reality check to make informed decisions.
Overall, however, this is an issue
are referendums good or bad?
tyranny of the majority
BAD 2 - LEAVE LARGE SECTIONS OF SOCIETY FEELING IGNORED (TYRANNY OF MAJORITY)
Additionally, referendums aren’t necessarily desirable as they can leave large sections of society feeling ignored and angry as younger voters, the Scots and Londoners were overwhelmed by the national majority. For instance, pensioners were twice as likely to have voted Leave as under 25s and whilst over 60% of Londoners and Scots voted remain over 70% in the Midlands and the North were Leavers. Indeed this is the reason why many Scots have been calling for a second referendum on independence. The referendum caused division between generations and regions. Also, leader of the SNP Nicola Steurgeon continues to call for EU membership for a post-independence Scotland.
are referendums good or bad?
politically engage the public
GOOD 2 - POLITICALLY ENGAGE THE PUBLIC
-EU referendum saw over 46 million vote, a turnout of over 72%. Scottish Independence referendum 2014 had a turnout of 85%
- COUNTER - not always the case as seen in the London 1998 devolution referendum seeing just a 35% turnout and the 2011 Wales devolution just 36%
- However, low turnout at referendums is less concerning compared to general elections as it just means the public is not concerned with that specific issue, a decisive outcome in itself.
