PR for all levels of Government is great in theory but pish in practice.
Having a list based MP removes accountability to the electorate, a need to engage with local issues and separates Legislature level representation from grass roots level activism, arguably weakening the democratic model.

amirite?
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:19, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

Yep, which is why I'd prefer STV with 5 to 9 member seats.
Or at least MMP/AMS
(888777555, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:20, Reply)

So what type of PR do you advocate then?
Surely you must realise that for all its faults, FPTP delivers accountable representation. Which is the point of a representative democracy.

You're 16 right? Can we not discuss DnB, or video games or skateboarding or something?
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:23, Reply)

I don't think FPTP delivers representation that is particularly accountable
since in reality you don't get to choose who your MP is, only which party your MP belongs to.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:27, Reply)

Woah Al, FPTP delivers exactly that.
You vote for an individual at local level, not a party. When did you last vote?
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:44, Reply)

My point is that the party decides who is running in each constituency
But also any constituency with a big split between several candidates delivers even less representation since the majority of people will likely cast votes for someone other than the one who goes on to "represent" them.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:51, Reply)

But it's a system where individuals campaign, and have their own platforms.
Hence there is variation of views within parties- Ken Clarke is far further to the left than Osborne, for example.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:56, Reply)

I know that
but I can't vote for Ken can I. I like the Dutch system where you can vote for either a party, or a person, or pretty much anything you like. And they have very high turnouts.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 22:04, Reply)

You can't vote for Ken unless you live in his constituency, no.
Meh. I like PR on an intellectual level, but FPTP on a pragmatic level.

As long as there is party politics you'll always have to vote for someone who doesn't quite match your views, or stand yourself as an independent.

And that is just madness.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 22:10, Reply)

There are much better ways of having a constituency link
than FPTP. In fact pretty much every other way is better than FPTP.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 22:17, Reply)

I am slightly torn on this
I can see the appeal of a PR system. If you have a country which has just over a third of people liking one party, just over a third liking another and just under a third liking a third, then you would think that the "fairest" way would be to make them work together in a way that satisfies most of them.

But the problem with a lack of a constituency link is one I also agree with which I why I liked the idea of every MP having to actually hold a majority of the votes or face some kind of run off a la AV or STV.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:23, Reply)

Precisely.
For democracy to work from the ground up, there has to be a high degree of local engagement.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Tue 13 Sep 2011, 21:24, Reply)