tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post1040790729808482959..comments2024-03-20T19:23:09.857+02:00Comments on Notes from underground: Electoral reformSteve Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-79786475504070194062011-02-24T23:06:07.830+02:002011-02-24T23:06:07.830+02:00No James, I don't want to exclude them I'd...No James, I don't want to exclude them I'd like to see the system change so that ti becomes more personal, but not at the price of excluding minorities.Steve Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-35224585315392245572011-02-24T21:28:47.050+02:002011-02-24T21:28:47.050+02:00In the event they turned out to be a bunch of bumb...In the event they turned out to be a bunch of bumbling old men who lived in the past, and perhaps few people would now care whether they were represented or not.<br /><br />Yes but that's the nature of democracy. You were happy to see them there until you saw them, Steve and because they weren't suitable in your eyes, now you'd like the system to change to exclude them.<br /><br />Forgive me if I misinterpreted what you wrote.James Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14525082702330365464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-26619424650465496812011-02-24T19:14:43.897+02:002011-02-24T19:14:43.897+02:00Someone has also suggested the report of the Van Z...Someone has also suggested the report of the <a href="http://www.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv03445/04lv04015/05lv04154/06lv04193.htm" rel="nofollow">Van Zyl Slabbert Commission on Electoral Reform</a> as a useful resource in this connectio0n.Steve Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-41083913283252709252011-02-24T14:23:43.989+02:002011-02-24T14:23:43.989+02:00Meanie,
Yes that's true, but it's even mo...Meanie,<br /><br />Yes that's true, but it's even more true of party lists. <br /><br />And then there is the story of Umhlatuzana, near Durban, in the bad old days. It was a marginal seat, alternating between the Nats and the UP, and the Nats transferred railway workers from all ovfer the country to there to win it. So the UP nominated a railway worker, local, Gideon Bond. He won the seat for them.<br /><br />Then there was a redelimitation, which made it a safe UP seat, and the UP wanted to dispense with Bond and give it to a party hack. So in the next election, Bond stood as an independent, and won again. There was a huge protest vote from people who felt the UP had treatred Bond shabbily.Steve Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19384577.post-39718416363820025802011-02-24T07:51:33.595+02:002011-02-24T07:51:33.595+02:00I would be wary of assuming that a constituency sy...I would be wary of assuming that a constituency system would create a better link between votes and MP. In reality there will be many constituencies that provide "safe seats" and party leaders will parachute their prefered candidates into those seats.bigbluemeaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01742238578608139919noreply@blogger.com