Richard Johnston has this insightful Maclean’s article about the best form of proportional representation for British Columbia. Proportional representation is on the agenda in British Columbia, because when the Green Party’s three representatives in the legislature joined the government, they were promised that proportional representation would be taken seriously.
It would better be characterized as an Op-Ed
Basic P.R. in ALL regimes since 1840s — repeat 1840s —
PM = TM x PV / TV
Solve for P, T, (clue adjectives) M and V (clue nouns)and get a math prize —
since the SCOTUS math MORONS are SOOOO math stupid with their AREA fixations.
The article admits like one thing about it’s favored recommendation for BC’s new electoral standard, MMP, that isn’t great: That it has two kinds of members serving in the legislative assembly, the one from the riding and the other from the larger top-off districts, and how the differing orientation between the two would be the source of some new awful thing. Goes to show to me and maybe others that there exists a bias against real representation in the opposite, that is a body entirely composed of members selected/elected in the same procedure that must exhibit a particular vulnerability as no electoral is free of a conspicuous method flaw.
There should be an intention to have many kinds of methods included to heighten the chances of representation of minorities that are usually not well represented because a professional political class can and always attempt to game the system or method. Extra seats for for some parties that don’t otherwise meet a threshold. Extra seats for independents if a top-off would warrant it from riding or district races. Extra seats for underrepresented males or females. Extra seats for best performing at-large coalition combination selected by voters. Extra seats for sortition. The real jewel of electoral reform is really frustrating the political class.
The article also says the whole proposal constructed has to be put up for a referendum. History on this especially in BC is there is already great understanding of the need, motivations and preferences surrounding electoral reform. The NDP-Green coalition should act and implement something that hurt single member districts with the accompanying first-past-the-post with generous portions of proportional representation as soon as possible and let the debate change totally.
Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) is not proportional representation (PR). PR is a perfect mathematical system based on calibrations of 1/10,000ths that is extremely easy to calculate and mathematically perfect.
Are you interested in pure proportional representation? The 10th USA Parliament has been using PR correctly for more than twenty-two consecutive years and it works fine.
The best way to get fair elections is to use the correct example of PR and to not settle for anything less.
Be a part of the PR unity phenomena that’s sweeping the earth and collaborate now with the new First International Parliament, that features election cycles timed with state elections on six geographical levels from county level to international:
@LA,
There are fewer NDP members than Liberal members. It would be extraordinary if they would ram through legislation based on a majority made up of a temporary marriage of convenience.
All the NDP members were elected in single districts, and presumably had to be selected by district parties. Are they willing to give up their opportunity to form a majority government, along with their own personal positions?