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# At least this way everyone* is happy
not including Lib Dem supporters.....but hey who voted for them anyway?
(I helped save b3ta! The magic of chutney Shakes it like an Instagram filter!, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:11, archived)
# I love how there was so much fuss about the Lib Dems and wonderman Nick Clegg
then they went ahead and did worse than in 2005 :/
(Omicron 2 years gone in a flash, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:13, archived)
# less seats, greater share of the vote
which probably matters little
(I helped save b3ta! Mighty Nibus who dares gins | @nibus, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:15, archived)
# But got more votes than in 2005,
and a higher percentage of the vote than in 2005, only fewer seats. Hence the wish for PR.
(I helped save b3ta! Redsushi! Whoop! Whoop! Yes, that one!, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:15, archived)
# Are you enjoying the all the horse-trading?
Because you'd get this all the time with PR...
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:24, archived)
# PR is too complicated for ordinary people
some of them can't even manage a single X in a box they've been told to put an X in

PR *might* ensure fairer representation - but I dunno if that in itself is objectively better for the country

the more I read about it, the more it seems unworkable, especially with the British psyche, even if the objective appears to be fairer and more beneficial

yer, it works in other countries, but so do trains, buses, prison systems, schools, the legislature etc.

somebody prove me wrong (or right)

/vacillation blog
(I helped save b3ta! Mighty Nibus who dares gins | @nibus, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:31, archived)
# Not to mention the belief that so many people have
that we actually vote for a Prime Minister rather than our constituency MP.
(I helped save b3ta! Redsushi! Whoop! Whoop! Yes, that one!, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:35, archived)
# Hence presidential-style debates
Useful for voicing policies, particularly for the Lib Dems who are normally ignored, but extremely good at misleading people into thinking that we vote for the Prime Minister.
(I helped save b3ta! boris the spider, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:40, archived)
# oh yes
I kind of see their point, but it's a bit trite

so in 97 we pretty much knew if we voted Labour we'd get Blair - so he was part of the equation people used when voting - we didn't get that with Gordon, but that's got nothing to do with Gordon, it's down to the Labour party (which we voted for)

I think people just use WTF UNELECTED PM GTFO because they haven't got the guts to say WTF ONE-EYED DOUR JOCK BASTARD GTFO
(I helped save b3ta! Mighty Nibus who dares gins | @nibus, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:40, archived)
# hahahaha
except commentators on the bbc's have your say.
(I helped save b3ta! boris the spider, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:47, archived)
# PR's just another system
Three countries off the top of my head with wildly different results from PR: Germany, Italy and Israel. Germany has had a succession of coalition governments but remains the most powerful and wealthiest nation in Europe (and at least where I was living, an extremely high standard of living). Italy has had a succession of coalition governments that up until it was hijacked by Berlusconi had a new PM about once every fifteen minutes, and since then has been more or less riven in two -- people who believe Berlusconi and people who think he's a disgusting, fat, ageing, botox-riddled criminal. Somehow Italy staggers on. And then you've got Israel which has suffered through about 65 years of trying to keep the moderates and the bonkers fucking mad insane shithead religious freaks happy and, as a result, has a foriegn policy that revolves around acting like it's run by bonkers fucking mad insane shithead religious freaks. (No idea what the internal politics is like, not being Israeli and all.)

I don't think there's a conclusion to that, just that the results of a PR system (and yes, I know they're different in each country) really depend on what the country makes of it. I suspect we'll make something drippy and half-assed out of it and it won't work brilliantly but it certainly won't be too bad, and then life will go on exactly as it does right now. Net change to anyone's life: zilch. Then again, I also tend to think that regardless of who's in power the net change to anyone's life (bar those in the Cabinet) is zilch.

Ill-informed and half-baked opinions on the internet? FUCK YEAH.
(I helped save b3ta! boris the spider, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:45, archived)
# hahaha - now I'm sitting on the fence more than ever
but at least I can pretend I have some authority on it
(I helped save b3ta! Mighty Nibus who dares gins | @nibus, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:53, archived)
# hahahaha good god so long as you're not using me as authority
i didn't call myself ill-informed and half-baked for nothing :D

fence-sitting is a good thing. you can't make a coalition without a bit of fence-sitting...
(I helped save b3ta! boris the spider, Mon 10 May 2010, 14:03, archived)
# I think this is why they've fine-tuned AV+ specifically for the UK electorate.
It's not just a straight list system.
(Cheddar George, Mon 10 May 2010, 14:30, archived)
# I'm not necessarily saying I am in favour of it,
however, I think it is pretty hard to see someone getting a quarter of the vote and less than 10% of the seats in parliament.
(I helped save b3ta! Redsushi! Whoop! Whoop! Yes, that one!, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:31, archived)
# haha
Lab/Con coalition ftw

in fact, they should *all* form a sort of talking/debating society for new laws and economic stuff where they *all* get the chance to air their views

I'm gonna suggest it

they could have a special building for it as well, with nice green seats
(I helped save b3ta! Mighty Nibus who dares gins | @nibus, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:13, archived)
# Why!!! we could call it....a......SENATE!
(I helped save b3ta! The magic of chutney Shakes it like an Instagram filter!, Mon 10 May 2010, 13:15, archived)