Views (cont'd): Electing the UK Parliament
Sep. 5th, 2017 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtbcConsidering that I am fairly progressive in some respects, I am perhaps unusually conservative when it comes to the Palace of Westminster. People often observe that a government may enjoy a significant majority with but a minority of the popular vote but they still did get many votes and I wonder if it is good that they can then get on and actually do things rather than spending much of their time managing power plays by other parties. Either way they must still placate enough interests to avoid a backbench revolt. Even the front benches are not always unified: I wonder how many voters now remember Robin Cook more for his resignation than anything else. I also like that our resulting representatives are indeed rather local to their constituents.
I do consider it a significant problem that many people may consider that their vote counts for less. In the US we have Gill v. Whitford coming up in the Supreme Court and I am interested by and hopeful about the entailed
I am against encouraging absentee voting. People who actually turn up to vote are more likely to have also bothered to find out something about the candidates and parties. When people vote in person the secrecy of their ballots is more greatly assured and the incidence of voter fraud very low. Encouraging in-person voting does require there being abundant polling stations open for long hours, something the UK does well in my experience. However, I am not aware that the UK has a useful analog of the US' provisional ballots for when voter eligibility is in doubt.
I wonder about reform of the House of Lords. I like the idea of it retaining some power to counterbalance immoderate populism from the House of Commons. From that point of view, inasmuch as the House of Lords is unrepresentative then I like the idea of its members tending to be educated and conservative: they tend to detect and retard extreme legislation while still supporting progress like the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. I also like that they need not have one eye on their reelection but can instead feel more free to violate current dogma when conscience warrants so that legislation is not blocked simply because of the Opposition's current policies.
I am open to that the House of Lords may do its job at least as well through being selected very differently. For example, from aggregating the votes for members of the House of Commons we know how the nationwide popular vote stands and I wonder if it may be best to somehow select new members of the House of Lords so as to more proportionally balance the legislature in accordance with that vote.
I do consider it a significant problem that many people may consider that their vote counts for less. In the US we have Gill v. Whitford coming up in the Supreme Court and I am interested by and hopeful about the entailed
efficiency gapargument. Even beyond the UK redistricting review that is probably coming up next year, the existence of safe seats does feel unfortunate, especially in the UK where one is often not voting on many different questions so it may feel less worth turning up at all.
I am against encouraging absentee voting. People who actually turn up to vote are more likely to have also bothered to find out something about the candidates and parties. When people vote in person the secrecy of their ballots is more greatly assured and the incidence of voter fraud very low. Encouraging in-person voting does require there being abundant polling stations open for long hours, something the UK does well in my experience. However, I am not aware that the UK has a useful analog of the US' provisional ballots for when voter eligibility is in doubt.
I wonder about reform of the House of Lords. I like the idea of it retaining some power to counterbalance immoderate populism from the House of Commons. From that point of view, inasmuch as the House of Lords is unrepresentative then I like the idea of its members tending to be educated and conservative: they tend to detect and retard extreme legislation while still supporting progress like the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. I also like that they need not have one eye on their reelection but can instead feel more free to violate current dogma when conscience warrants so that legislation is not blocked simply because of the Opposition's current policies.
I am open to that the House of Lords may do its job at least as well through being selected very differently. For example, from aggregating the votes for members of the House of Commons we know how the nationwide popular vote stands and I wonder if it may be best to somehow select new members of the House of Lords so as to more proportionally balance the legislature in accordance with that vote.
