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The thing with PR is, the current vote results are a horrid predictor for PR vote results. Legolas Send a noteboard - 07/05/2010 03:45:58 PM
Labour and Lib Dems aren't that far behind... and the simple fact is that two centre-left parties make for a fairly natural alliance, unlike a centre-left and a centre-right party. So fromt hat point it is really not good for the Tories, as they can be shut out easily.

The key point though is this - more people in this country vote for left leaning parties than right leaning parties, as over 50% of the vote going to just Labour and Lib Dems alone shows. The popular vote is not kind to the Tories.

That is true now, because for historical reasons the Lib Dems managed to maintain that position of third party. It doesn't mean it would be that way if you actually had PR elections. UKIP and the BNP would see rather significant vote increases, and not all of it at the expense of the Tories. In addition, PR would put an end to the incumbency advantage that limits the losses of the big parties when they lose an election. If this election had been under PR, I dare say Labour would've gotten a fair few less votes than they got now, not merely fewer seats.

Of course, if your point is just about natural alliances, it's true that under PR, even with significant changes of the kind I described, the Tories would have a disadvantage in that the right-wing would be splintered in three parties, one of which is absolutely not viable for a coalition. But then, PR might also create changes within the parties, and perhaps force Labour and the Lib Dems to make the distinction between them a bit sharper, or even cause parts of parties to defect to others.
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Lib Dems: Up 1% of the vote, down 10% of the seats. - 07/05/2010 09:29:03 AM 1659 Views
Re: Lib Dems: Up 1% of the vote, down 10% of the seats. - 07/05/2010 09:45:23 AM 1103 Views
So what would you move to? - 07/05/2010 09:53:51 AM 939 Views
Re: So what would you move to? - 07/05/2010 02:55:32 PM 1041 Views
God I hate the British system - 07/05/2010 10:24:35 AM 1074 Views
It's an excellent morning. Conservatives are at 301 right now. *NM* - 07/05/2010 01:57:52 PM 558 Views
Are you counting the Speaker? *NM* - 07/05/2010 01:59:37 PM 602 Views
Indeed - 07/05/2010 02:22:37 PM 1104 Views
I love how they're calling that option "The Coalition of the Losers". - 07/05/2010 02:27:56 PM 1015 Views
They are? Where? - 07/05/2010 02:38:01 PM 1148 Views
On the lovely BBC. Paxman, Robinson, Dimbleby et al. - 07/05/2010 02:52:01 PM 1036 Views
Ah, we have it on but with the sound turned down - the subtitlers must be skipping that phrase - 07/05/2010 03:13:57 PM 983 Views
The thing with PR is, the current vote results are a horrid predictor for PR vote results. - 07/05/2010 03:45:58 PM 1029 Views
That is true - 07/05/2010 03:53:51 PM 1039 Views
Re: That is true - 07/05/2010 03:54:51 PM 1060 Views
I'm sure it would be a setup for new elections in a few months if they did. *NM* - 07/05/2010 02:40:49 PM 559 Views
I suspect we'll get one of those anyway. - 07/05/2010 02:52:32 PM 1018 Views
What is the general consensus on who would win or lose from new elections? - 07/05/2010 02:57:04 PM 1166 Views
I've not heard any comment on this yet. I might have missed some. - 07/05/2010 02:58:00 PM 1042 Views
Not being talked about yet - I'd guess whoever is PM will lose though - 07/05/2010 03:21:23 PM 1168 Views
Re: Not being talked about yet - I'd guess whoever is PM will lose though - 07/05/2010 03:29:37 PM 1146 Views
King William IV indeed. - 07/05/2010 03:37:18 PM 1117 Views
Re: King William IV indeed. - 07/05/2010 03:40:41 PM 966 Views
Re: Not being talked about yet - I'd guess whoever is PM will lose though - 07/05/2010 04:04:03 PM 1047 Views
I suspect a great deal of the problem is George Osborn - 07/05/2010 04:09:51 PM 1059 Views
Re: I suspect a great deal of the problem is George Osborn - 07/05/2010 04:24:56 PM 933 Views
Yes. - 07/05/2010 04:26:50 PM 812 Views
Re: I suspect a great deal of the problem is George Osborn - 07/05/2010 04:28:45 PM 1007 Views
Re: I suspect a great deal of the problem is George Osborn - 07/05/2010 04:34:41 PM 990 Views
I'm sure he is - 07/05/2010 04:25:20 PM 1060 Views
Heh. - 07/05/2010 04:27:44 PM 1104 Views
Re: Heh. - 07/05/2010 04:43:18 PM 1101 Views
Re: I'm sure he is - 07/05/2010 04:40:07 PM 1038 Views
Cameron might be in trouble anyway. - 07/05/2010 06:25:14 PM 1148 Views
If they got PR as part of the deal it would be worth it - 07/05/2010 02:42:36 PM 1153 Views
Possibly. - 07/05/2010 02:53:28 PM 1171 Views
Re: Possibly. - 07/05/2010 03:00:55 PM 959 Views
I didn't mean from that point of view. - 07/05/2010 03:05:05 PM 1038 Views
Re: I didn't mean from that point of view. - 07/05/2010 03:18:57 PM 1049 Views
Short term pain for long term gain - 07/05/2010 03:02:51 PM 1135 Views
Re: Indeed - 07/05/2010 03:45:00 PM 1065 Views
Re: Indeed - 07/05/2010 03:59:41 PM 1154 Views
Here's what i would do to sink the Tories - 07/05/2010 04:06:10 PM 1024 Views
that does sound strange - 07/05/2010 10:57:10 AM 986 Views
The breakdown is pretty wack - 07/05/2010 11:07:20 AM 998 Views
Tell me about it. - 07/05/2010 11:14:44 AM 1017 Views
I liked that as well - 07/05/2010 11:46:42 AM 1075 Views
I'm in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency. - 07/05/2010 11:56:04 AM 1044 Views
Not that I'd ever try to one-up you. - 07/05/2010 12:54:47 PM 1096 Views
- 07/05/2010 01:44:03 PM 974 Views
Re: The breakdown is pretty wack - 07/05/2010 03:23:32 PM 1020 Views
Same here - 07/05/2010 03:47:51 PM 970 Views
Re: Same here - 07/05/2010 03:56:46 PM 1123 Views
A simple change is all - 07/05/2010 01:16:16 PM 1061 Views
That's not a simple change. THIS is a simple change: - 07/05/2010 01:59:09 PM 1048 Views
Not that simple - 07/05/2010 02:45:00 PM 1001 Views
Because my school was a polling station we used to get the day off every polling day - 07/05/2010 02:51:18 PM 1161 Views
Show off - 07/05/2010 02:53:16 PM 1004 Views
Re: Not that simple - 07/05/2010 03:04:57 PM 1155 Views
Re: Not that simple - 07/05/2010 03:14:46 PM 1151 Views
Re: Not that simple - 07/05/2010 03:20:55 PM 847 Views
PR is hardly too difficult to implement and is much more democratic - 07/05/2010 02:48:01 PM 1029 Views
I hate the list system. - 07/05/2010 02:55:39 PM 1068 Views
There are many different versions - 07/05/2010 03:10:38 PM 987 Views
It's that bad i registered to moan. - 07/05/2010 02:53:37 PM 1072 Views
Conservatives win and the stock market plummets. j/k - 07/05/2010 03:40:11 PM 953 Views
Oh, and the other interesting thing will be seeing whether the Conservatives offer.... - 07/05/2010 03:57:52 PM 1126 Views
I like John Major - 07/05/2010 04:01:03 PM 1004 Views
There's only one the LibDems will be interested in though. - 07/05/2010 06:30:55 PM 1110 Views
But - 07/05/2010 08:21:11 PM 1047 Views
Isn't that the very definition of a coalition? - 07/05/2010 08:16:05 PM 1045 Views
OK here is the map of England by constituency, blue Tory, red NUlab - 07/05/2010 05:00:20 PM 1010 Views
So I'm just one of those upstart colonists....explain to me what is going on.... - 07/05/2010 05:26:59 PM 993 Views
Basically... - 07/05/2010 06:43:10 PM 1028 Views
And things are changing already - 08/05/2010 04:08:47 PM 1103 Views
To be fair, I don't know it makes for much of a change - 08/05/2010 04:20:26 PM 1121 Views
I thought they weren't allowed to do that if Brown isn't Prime Minister? - 08/05/2010 04:52:39 PM 1073 Views
The latter, I'd say. - 08/05/2010 05:43:23 PM 1367 Views
Brown is PM at the moment - 08/05/2010 06:16:48 PM 999 Views
They certainly can. - 09/05/2010 04:37:46 PM 1096 Views
God, our system is fucked up *NM* - 07/05/2010 06:25:04 PM 587 Views
If i were the tories - 07/05/2010 11:28:43 PM 1048 Views
Sounds like the pressure is on for Cameron - 08/05/2010 02:01:49 PM 1097 Views
Hmmm - 13/05/2010 12:08:04 PM 1365 Views
Completely uncalled for! - 13/05/2010 01:12:05 PM 1178 Views
How was he supposed to know that at the time he made the post? - 13/05/2010 09:52:24 PM 1460 Views
Re: How was he supposed to know that at the time he made the post? - 13/05/2010 10:59:35 PM 1060 Views
Yes I jumped the gun on the 12 - 14/05/2010 09:53:49 AM 1048 Views
Re: Yes I jumped the gun on the 12 - 14/05/2010 10:45:35 AM 953 Views

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