tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post2985599470504678107..comments2023-10-09T08:27:03.515-04:00Comments on Runesmith's Canadian Content: My Six Reasons to Vote For MMPJennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-84534357613964709622007-08-13T14:55:00.000-04:002007-08-13T14:55:00.000-04:00Sigh. Yeah.I'm sure Jason is a very nice person a...Sigh. Yeah.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure Jason is a very nice person and has the best of intentions. But he's a perfect example of how thin the line is between political bias and uncritical adulation. Hell, I'm a card-carrying Liberal and even <I>I</I> think he's been drinking a little too much kool-aid.<BR/><BR/>One of several reasons why I never joined Liblogs. I don't pretend to be impartial, but I never want to feel beholden.Jennifer Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-1521872705361727332007-08-13T12:44:00.000-04:002007-08-13T12:44:00.000-04:00What I find most amusing - amongst bloggers anyhow...What I find most amusing - amongst bloggers anyhow - is the fact that if Jason is against it, that must mean its a good system.Oxford County Liberalshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12181314055142726735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-50408637698445143112007-08-13T09:29:00.000-04:002007-08-13T09:29:00.000-04:00"Running ideas past the other parties first . . . ..."Running ideas past the other parties first . . . such is the nature of compromise." Right on, and we should give credit to Minister John Gerretsen, one of the cabinet's MMP supporters, who said it even better. According to the Kingston Whig-Standard he's advocated for electoral change since being elected in 1995 because it would force governments to compromise more with other parties in order to pass legislation. "Nobody is ever 100-per-cent right and nobody is every 100-per-cent wrong," he said. "Governing is the art of compromise. There's nothing wrong with having the governing party take into account smaller parties." <BR/><BR/>On what it takes to win a local seat, here's another quote you might like, from the Citizens' Assembly report:<BR/><BR/>"The more common practice in MMP systems is for list candidates to run locally as well. In the 2002 German election, over 90% of the elected list members also ran locally. In the 2002 New Zealand election, 84% of list members ran locally. This gives these candidates more visibility and strong connections to particular areas or regions. Parties that have general support across a country or province, but little likelihood of winning many local seats, may still want to run candidates in local districts. This gives parties a local presence in the election and allows their candidates to gain political skills and experience by running locally.<BR/><BR/>"Permitting dual candidacy recognizes that there can be only one winner in local ridings under a Single Member Plurality system. Candidates who have strong public support can lose local races. For example, in the 2003 Ontario election, the winning candidate in one district received 35.87% of the vote. In another district, a losing candidate received 45.16% of the vote. As this example shows, candidates who lose can actually have more support than other candidates who win."Wilf Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17066062612690437163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-90243967314972455552007-08-12T17:58:00.000-04:002007-08-12T17:58:00.000-04:00"Under the current system, candidates are NOT elec...<I>"Under the current system, candidates are NOT elected by the majority in their riding."</I><BR/><BR/>Quite right. I should have left out the 'majority' part.<BR/><BR/>As for the left vs. right issue, yes, I was being a little facetious there (this is what comes of posting in the wee hours of the morning :)Jennifer Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-17906797466710536582007-08-12T17:04:00.000-04:002007-08-12T17:04:00.000-04:00The only drawbacks to MMP that I've come across so...The only drawbacks to MMP that I've come across so far is that it may not translate well into a geographically broad country like Canada with decidedly different regions like rural, remote, and urban. I hope the system is tailored in a way that urban voters can't squash the voices of representatives from rural and remote regions for instance.<BR/>Also, MMP reaffirms party politics, which is a drawback in some peoples eyes.<BR/><BR/>Aside from those points, MMP is great compared to the antiquated FPTP.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-9533328341598423462007-08-12T12:02:00.000-04:002007-08-12T12:02:00.000-04:00Great post! Thanks for your support!A couple of qu...Great post! Thanks for your support!<BR/><BR/>A couple of quibbles:<BR/><BR/>You said:<BR/><BR/>". . . while still ensuring that each riding is represented by the candidate elected by the majority in that riding."<BR/><BR/>Under the crrent system, candidates are NOT elected by the majority in their riding. The winner is whoever gets the most votes. Sometimes they get 60% or 70% of the votes. On average, winning candidates, in Ontario and federally, get about 40% of the votes in their riding. Sometimes they win with 30% or less. So 40% of us are voting for someone who gets elected, and the other 60% of us might as well have stayed home.<BR/><BR/>Conservative voters are as badly served as anyone else. As Suzanne points out, this is not a right-left issue.<BR/><BR/>This is also not a big party-little party issue. Although the system makes it difficult for minor parties, most wasted votes are cast for Liberals and Conservatives.<BR/><BR/>But this is not about what is good for parties at all. It is about making all political parties accountable to voters, by giving every voter a vote that counts every time, because every vote helps somebody get elected.<BR/><BR/>Wayne SmithAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1892827037183316611.post-9007136286377122362007-08-12T11:26:00.000-04:002007-08-12T11:26:00.000-04:00I don't think MMP is a right versus left issue. It...I don't think MMP is a right versus left issue. It's more of a political centre (i.e. those who hold power) versus the political periphery. It's the people who stand to lose who oppose this. Those who stand to gain generally favour it.Suzannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038275826830875246noreply@blogger.com