Quote:
Originally Posted by SebC
Well, since our system doesn't give anyone the legitimacy of a population majority, perhaps the solution is that Harper can speak for his 40%, Mulcair can speak for his 31%, and Rae gets to speak for his 19%. If we want someone to speak for all of us, then we need a system that makes sure that somone gets at least 50%.
I'm not doing that.
Yes, but with the caveat that a non-majority plurality that includes the median voter has a far greater legitimacy in representing the country as a whole than a non-majority plurality that excludes the median voter.
The median voter is important because a coalition under a proportional system must include him to reach a majority. Thus Chretien might not have been PM, but the Liberals would have been a necessary part of any logical coalition government. We cannot say the same of Harper and the Conservatives.
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Politics isn't just a linear line where each party takes a spot. Maybe the conservatives are in the center and the majority of people who don't vote did so because they are too far right for Harper?
You are honestly saying that the 40 percent of people who voted Chretien into power were more legitimate than the 40 percent of people who voted for Harper. Can you be more elitist?