Evaluate the view that proportional representation would improve elections to the House of Commons. Flashcards
Introduction - Themes
- Participation
- Governance
- Accountability
Introduction - Argument
There are arguments that because PR does not distort results like FPTP does, it must be the better electoral system, however, this is untrue as it fails massively in other aspects
Participation - Disagree - Point
Under PR system, nearly every vote counts and every vote is of equal value. In a plurality system, however, many people do not feel the need to vote as they do not feel their vote will make much of a difference
Participation - Disagree - Examples
- The winning bonus is an example of how voters feel apathetic to FPTP. In 2019, the Conservatives won 43.6% of the vote share but this led to 56.2% of the seats in Parliament
- Tactical voting also decreases participation as it once against favourites those who are in marginal seats and have more of a say
Participation - Agree - Point
All the PR systems are much more complex than FPTP - this means that people will have to be more educated to understand how to physically vote
Participation - Agree - Examples
- Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly uses STV which is highly complex. As a result, in 2015, 1.83% of the ballots were rejected, compared with only 0.65% in the 2015 general election
- Voter turnout for the Northern Irish Assembly was 64.8% in 2017 which is lower than the 69% in the 2017 general election
Governance - Disagree - Point
Plurality systems generally create clear majorities for only one party in Parliament, while PR systems often mean multiple parties are in power. This can be seen as a desirable outcome as it would prevent governments becoming excessively powerful
Governance - Disagree - Examples
- In our current system, minor parties are unfairly discriminated against. In 2019, the Lib Dems secured 11.5% of vote but only won 1.7% of seat in Parliament
- While Theresa May was in a minority government in 2017, her Confidence and Supply agreement with the DUP meant that Northern Ireland secured more funding and devolved powers
Governance - Agree - Point
Adopting PR and turning the UK into a multiple party system has its drawbacks, and these are far more pronounced than the advantages
Governance - Agree - Examples
- Coalitions are often unstable, this can be seen in other European countries that have adopted PR systems, such as Germany and Italy. PR increases the likelihood that the government will fall apart
- Coaltions often mean voters do not know what they are voting for - the 2010 AV referendum was something that the Lib Dems wanted, but, the Conservatives did not
Accountability - Disagree - Point
The general consensus in PR systems is that people should still have a representative they can go to hold accountable
Accountability - Disagree - Examples
- In the STV system, there are 6 representatives per constituency, each voter has a choice of those to represent them
- In FPTP, there is only 1 MP per constituency, and this is only from one party - this means people may feel as though they are not able to hold their representatives accountable as well
Accountability - Agree - Point
More representatives means that the links between them are less pronounced. The FPTP system creates a strong link between the constituency and the MP, this leads voters to understanding exactly who to go to if they have a problem
Accountability - Agree - Examples
- Coalition government mean that there are multiple parties all in government at once, while a major / minor Parliament is much easier to hold the main party to account
- As most MPs wish to be re-elected, they want to uphold support in their areas. This means that MPs have to listen to voters from all parties
