Sunday, September 09, 2007
Ontario campaign roundup
Dalton: I am going to continue spending way too much of your money.
John: I am going to spend even more of your money!
Howard: I am going to spend a ridiculously insane amount of your money.
What a choice to have. I am definitely going to waste my vote.
We're also seeing what a horrible effect the fixed election date law has. A ridiculously long unofficial campaign where the parties are afraid to reveal what their whole platform is about. Not only is it pointless, it's making all of the choices seem even less attractive, if that's possible.
I hope my fellow citizens will have the brains to vote no in the electoral reform referendum. The party sheep factor in our political system is already way too high; there's no need to make it even bigger.
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2 comments:
Interestingly enough, the "party sheep factor" is *weakened* by giving people the opportunity to cast a sincere vote that actually elects people they want.
Having lived under MMP in New Zealand for the past 11 years, I know this first-hand. The callenge is to get people who are cynical because of the serious flaws in the present system to imagine any OTHER thing.
I don't have to imagine it. I've seen it.
If you don't vote for MMP and all the additional voter power it provides, you're making a mistake.
Just LOOK at the present system! ONE vote for ONE candidate in ONE riding....and more than 50% of those votes elect no one.
This is suppose to be GOOD? It's crap. The FPTP vote has no effect whatever in 106 of 107 ridings...and more than 50% of the time has no effect in the ONE riding where it was cast.
MMP gives me that pea-shooter vote, PLUS a vote for a party that applies to the WHOLE province. It's a defacto vote on the leadership and ever MPP in that party. It's some thing we don't get under the present system.
Having voted in 4 MMP elections I know first-hand how powerful that party vote can be. You don't elect just one MPP with it, you may elected several or many. Similarly, if you take it away from your former favoured party, you can, in effect, be UN-electing several / many MPPs.
It's an order of power that far and away exceeds anything the present system offers.
I'm just not excited about the 'added power' of putting more people in the legislature. It's not necessary, and I don't think it will produce useful ideas.
The fairness aspects of the argument don't persuade me. Why does everyone's vote have to elect someone?
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