Oh good, electoral reform it is then. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

philmoorhouse.bsky.social • 38 days ago

Oh good, electoral reform it is then.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy, "While we've been on air the prime minister has been speaking to Labour MPs and attacked Nigel Farage and Reform UK, reportedly saying"

"Reform are our main rivals for power. We have a moral responsibility to make sure Farage never wins"

Comments

mlungu.bsky.social•38 days ago

That’s crazy, buddy. A proportional system would make it more likely that an extremists party becomes a power in Westminster, not less. The reason Reform got over 4 million votes but only 5 MPs, while the Lib Dems got 3 million votes and over 70 MPs is because of FPTP. Long may it last.

glostermeteor.bsky.social•38 days ago

But ensure that an extremist party could NEVER win an outright majority alone. As it stands with FPTP, Reform could win a majority on 30% of the vote

mlungu.bsky.social•37 days ago

No, because in FPTP we vote to keep parties out, not bring parties in. There are a handful of Lib Dem or Green/Labour marginals, and hundreds of Reform/Tory/Labour marginals. Labour have lost 6% of their ‘24 vote to Reform, the rest went Green/Lib Dem, and the majority of those will come back at GE.

mlungu.bsky.social•37 days ago

And it is precisely this drive to keep parties out that prevent extremist/fringe parties from becoming a power at Westminster. Change to PR, and will all start voting for who we want, at which point you will get a govt lead by a party with 20-25% of the vote propped up fringe king makers.

glostermeteor.bsky.social•37 days ago

'And it is precisely this drive to keep parties out that prevent extremist/fringe parties from becoming a power at Westminster.' That was the theory......until Reform got 5 seats in 2024. That theory no longer holds, especially when the cartel parties are effectively copying the extremists

mlungu.bsky.social•37 days ago

5 seats from 4 million votes (where LD got 72 from 3 million) is exactly how the system is supposed to operate.

glostermeteor.bsky.social•37 days ago

They will only come back at a GE if Labour offer policies to attract those voters. Copying Reform will just keep those voters away.

mlungu.bsky.social•37 days ago

No, they’ll come back because they don’t want Farage as PM and Labour is already delivering a closer relationship with EU, while the Tories and Reform are setting themselves up in strong opposition to it.

glostermeteor.bsky.social•37 days ago

'and Labour is already delivering a closer relationship with EU' No they arent. Labours so called renegotiation was pretty thin gruel. They have embraced Tory Hard Brexit, until they change they will not be getting my tactical vote under any circumstances.

glostermeteor.bsky.social•37 days ago

If Labour is copying Faragists policies what is the difference? Many may actually put up with Farage as PM to give the system a kicking.

glostermeteor.bsky.social•38 days ago

FPTP is going to eat the cartel parties alive, and when that happens I will laugh in their faces.

mlungu.bsky.social•37 days ago

And when it doesn’t, who will laugh in your face?

glostermeteor.bsky.social•37 days ago

No idea, but the odds are in my favour.

libretio.bsky.social•38 days ago

Whatever the case, it's inevitable the next GE will be fought under FPTP. I still have hopes Lab will wake up and put electoral reform in their manifesto, thereby giving themselves a mandate if/when they win. Otherwise, the Right will insist on a referendum they will try to rig, as with Brexit.

hi-lucy.bsky.social•37 days ago

Labour does like to copy Farage wherever possible and try and prove they are that little more extreme each time... So...

What would Farage do to political rivals if he were in power?

rebel-spy.bsky.social•37 days ago

Not holding my breath. They’ve had a scare, but they will convince themselves that they’ll be ok.

zalner.bsky.social•38 days ago

Exactly. Now is the hour for proportional representation. Else our democracy fails as parties with only 20-25% of the vote share end up in power. At which point they have no clear mandate and we risk unrest and instability as people resist being governed without consent.

mlungu.bsky.social•38 days ago

What country’s electoral system are you talking about? You realise that PR would have given Reform 14% of the seats in Parliament rather than less than 2%? The reason Reform got 5 MPs for 4 million votes while Lib Dems got 72 MPs from 3 million votes is because FPTP handicaps extremist parties.

zalner.bsky.social•37 days ago

I'm talking about next election. Reform have increased vote share if polls are to be believed, while Labour & Torries have lost share. We now have 4 parties in spitting distance of each other. FPTP risks falling apart. I'll take reform at 14% but locked out by a coalition of moderates.

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