General Election Vote

(10-05-2015 08:18 )Scottishbloke Wrote:  I'll say it again to you I oppose proportional representation as does the SNP when it comes to issues such as the General Election

Not according to the SNP's own website, where they say that "the discredited first past the post system at Westminster has well and truly had its day."


Championing fair votes

Tricia Marwick MSP has welcomed today's landmark vote by the Scottish Parliament in favour of replacing the first past the post voting system for Westminster elections with the much fairer single transferable vote (STV).

SNP MSP for Central Fife Ms Marwick said:

"This was a very clear endorsement by a significant majority of MSPs of the need for a fairer electroral system at Westminster, one that would finally give voters a real voice. The SNP has long supported STV as by far the fairest and most democratic voting system, and I am delighted that that is the system which has been endorsed today.

"The discredited first past the post system at Westminster has well and truly had its day. The time is long overdue to genuinely empower the electorate and give them the representation they vote for - that is the powerful message that has been sent by the Scottish Parliament today.

"The Labour-Tory cabal at Holyrood joined forces today to vote against democratic reform."

I'll put my hands up now and admit that I had no idea that the SNP supported electoral reform but in saying that this could have been a tactical move on their part in the event of being asked to make up a coalition Government.

As in life you aren't going to agree with everything despite the fact that I am and will remain a lifelong SNP Supporter. I'll get my coat

(10-05-2015 10:08 )Scottishbloke Wrote:  this could have been a tactical move on their part in the event of being asked to make up a coalition Government.

It's been their stance for many years. I thought it was common knowledge.

(10-05-2015 10:18 )The Silent Majority Wrote:  It's been their stance for many years.

Yes, the press release I quoted above is dated 30 April 2010.

(10-05-2015 07:04 )babelover48 Wrote:  

(10-05-2015 06:48 )bytor Wrote:  Independence for Northern England. Surrounded on both sides now

how far would the border stretch I beg to ask?

Anywhere from The Borders down to anywhere north of London

(10-05-2015 07:17 )gunnar Wrote:  

(10-05-2015 06:48 )bytor Wrote:  Independence for Northern England. Surrounded on both sides now

^would have to build a massive wall to keeping out the southeners.
Something like Hadrian/Berlin wall.

No we wouldn't need to do that as Southeners and their rich lifestyles don't realise there is a big lump of land called, 'The rest of the fucking country'

The Scottish Parliament elections have always had an element of proportional representation with each elector casting two votes:
a first-past-the-post vote for their constituency MSP, and then a second vote for "list MPs" that are then allocated additional seats based on the % share of vote overall cast for each party.
Imo all this does though is allow confused people to vote for different parties in a weird kind of protest way - as in, well I'll vote for that MSP because they are in the party that dominates my constituency, but then I'll vote in my "Second Choice" for the party I really like in the List vote and hope they get more seats across the country if enough other people do the same.
You end up with these "Additional Members" (what a fine phrase that is) that don't really have the same direct link to the constituency because they're just whoever the parties choose to stuff their "Lists" with.

I found this table in the Mirror, showing what a difference a PR system would have made to the results :

^ that would be a helluva difficult coalition to put together!

Its hard what to make of the PR system, I still firmly oppose it but I can see why some might favour it to be objective about it. However what's happened has happened and now we have the sickening prospect of 5 bloody long years under a Conservative Government in which this time they'll be no Lib Dems to contain them as the working class are just about to be fucked anal style.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nas...ve-5661984

This article makes for grim reading. I just hope in the short term the SNP stands up to the Tories, followed by Labour once they have regrouped.