STV advantages/disadvantages

Question 1

pluralism in the legislature

Answer 1

-reallocation of surplus votes stops ‘winner takes all’ approach and encourages the election of smaller parties producing greater pluralism
-pluralism produces a greater range of political viewpoints
-in Northern irish politics there are a range of unionist e.g. UUP and nationalist e.g. Sinn Fein parties elected even more marginalised left and right wing viewpoints have representation too
-compared to FPTP, 2019 election saw limited representation for minor parties

Question 2

pluralism evaluation

Answer 2

-Because of its political inclusivity, STV encourages small minor parties and single-issue politics; allowing some room for the representation of extremists such as Traditional Unionist Voice that is aiming to repeal the Good Friday Agreement. This means extremist parties can contribute to political debate in Parliament, and in turn, may grow in strength over time. FPTP deliberately marginalises extremists and forces the major parties to develop ‘catch-all’ policies that appeal to significant numbers of moderates in
the electorate.

Question 3

enhanced representation

Answer 3

-preference system encourages MLAs to compete for 1st,2nd&3rd choice votes in their district
-better quality of representation as no one is guaranteed re-election as they are on the party ticket
-candidates compete with members of their own party to become an MLA
-there is less room for complacency,can be seen in safe seats (10% in the UK)
-candidates cannot ignore their constituents grievances as ‘safe seats’ do not exist

Question 4

enhanced representation evaluation

Answer 4

This argument perhaps overstates the positive benefits of representation in Northern Ireland. Certain parties are guaranteed re-election, regardless of the candidates, because of the sectarian nature of politics in NI. What’s more, it underplays the accountability element of FPTP. MPs
understand their position is under threat if they are not responsive to their constituents. For example, the previously safe Labour seat of Leigh
switched hands to the Conservatives in 2019 largely because constituents felt ignored over Brexit.

Question 5

political literacy (prof raymond, queens)

Answer 5

-the system has a number of complex elements,preference based voting,droop formula,quotas,surplus votes etc.
-low information voters may be disenfranchised by such a system
-confusion can even spread to westminster elections
-2022 saw 11,000 invalid votes,error rate of over 1%, compared to 0.2% under FPTP in 2017

Question 6

political literacy evaluation

Answer 6

The key to making a society more democratic is to both adopt a more proportional system such as STV and also to focus on the political education of the citizenry. As under AMS in Scotland, invalid ballots will reduce over time if the government prioritises political literacy in education.

Question 7

hung parliament/unstable coalitions

Answer 7

-coalitions are notoriously unstable and result in trading of policies,which disappoints voters
-power sharing between unionists and republicans is mandatory in northern ireland
-but a coalition of sinn fein and various unionist parties can prove difficult
-STV can produce political gridlock

Question 8

hung parliaments/unstable coalitions evaluation

Answer 8

-STV ensures a greater degree of representation in the executive branch and prevents the one-party dominance of FPTP. In Ireland, which also uses STV, coalition governments function effectively. Irish citizens understand that politics can be conducted in a more consensual spirit where parties work together to form a coalition agreement that represents a wider degree of society