Quote:
Originally posted by Flames Draft Watcher+May 4 2005, 11:14 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Flames Draft Watcher @ May 4 2005, 11:14 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Bend it like Bourgeois@May 4 2005, 06:03 PM
In principle I don't like proportional representation. It does nothing to build consensus at the grassroots level, and encourages people to live at the political fringes.
But, forcing people to work within the system and make it better only works if people actually particpate and get involved. They don't.
I don't think proportional representation would improve things at all - lazy people won't be any less lazy - but I'd be much more willing to explore it now than 10 years ago.
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I'm not sure it boils down to people being lazy. I know my generation is very apathetic about politics. But I think the biggest reason this is because we have no voice. We go into an election knowing that Alberta will be awash in Tory blue and that any attempt to vote a different direction does next to nothing. This causes voter apathy. This causes disillusionment with politics.
I think if people knew their votes would count then they would take more of an interest.
I'm curious how you think it would build consensus at the grassroots level, I would like a more in-depth explanation of that.
As for the political fringes, I think proportional representation would give us a greater number of legitimate parties to vote for and thus a greater representation of people's beliefs. Sure some will vote on the fringe. But I see that as healthy. Having differing opinions is a positive IMO. [/b][/quote]
Alberta's a good example. Before it was awash in Tory blue i think the tories had 2 seats. Nationally we've seen the tories do something similar, in this case fall equally hard going down to 2 seats.
So change can happen within the current system. If it doesn't now is that because people are jaded? I guess, but ultimately things only change when people make things change.
I call it lazy because lots of people want things to be different, but almost no one wants to actually make that happen. But I'll freely admit I'm cynical as hell these days so don't get bogged down in my wording.
My concern with the fringes is they are not just right and left fringes, but single issue fringes. Like the Bloc magnified. Imagine the Alberta BSE party. The newfoundland fishermans party. The private health care party. The public auto insurance party. Ridiculous examples but there would be some real ones.
Right now we have a few independant candidates holding the balance of power in Parliament, and all kinds of political manuevering is going on. Imagine of those candidates were from the Aboriginal Succession party, or the Anti-Abortion party. What then?