Comment 63200

By Shempatolla (registered) - website | Posted May 08, 2011 at 09:38:59

Proportional representation is the refuge of the also rans. It's like giving electoral seats for showing up and putting your name on a ballot. The concept completely ignores the rationale and methodology of FPTP. When the writ is dropped in an election, each party has the opportunity to win a seat in every riding they intend to contest. Demographics, past tendencies of course can influence the outcomes. But as we have seen in this just past election, change can happen. In the case of the NDP, the charisma of their leader translated into a sea change in Quebec. Whether that remains long term is up to the work the NDP will be required to do there to solidify it. In the case of the Conservatives, their gains have been strategic and over 10 years in the making. Less than a decade ago the Liberal Party of Canada elected over 100 MPs in Ontario. Now they have less than 35 nationally. This wasn't an accident.

If you don't like the results, work to change them. Not the method in which they were achieved.

PR seems to be the panacea offered up by the politically impatient and intolerant in the instant gratification society we live in today. It's the equivalent of a precocious and impatient child stomping his feet and holding his breath until he gets what he wants. Be careful what you wish for.

Comment edited by Shempatolla on 2011-05-08 09:39:32

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