Just how democratic is our democracy?
Following a class debate on the merits of the German voting system, I have started thinking more about my dissatisfaction with the way we Brits do things when it comes to choosing the people who will represent our interests on a national and international stage.
The brand of democracy that we have in Britain is by definition designed to suppress the minority. This is by no means restricted to the UK, but I don’t want to set myself up as an expert on international politics, since I often have difficulty grasping what’s going on within my own borders.
When I say that our political structures are biased against minorities, I am not simply referring to the process by which the party with the backing of the majority rules the country for the next 4 years. While coalition governments undoubtedly have their benefits, there is also the risk that with a wide range of opinions from more than one party, no one would be able to agree on anything.
My objection is that with the constituency system, I am subject to a postcode lottery when it comes to the number of choices I have. I come from a rural area, and not all parties have a candidate standing in my home constituency. I would seriously consider voting for the Green Party – but there is never a Green Party candidate. And even if there were, would there be any point? My constituency is, and always has been, a Tory stronghold, and I can be reasonably certain that my vote will make no difference to that. My voice is silenced because my neighbours feel differently – where is the democracy in that? I have voted twice, and both times felt a vague sense of frustration that mine would be, essentially, a ‘wasted’ vote.
In both elections since I reached the age when I was eligible to vote, my choices have been narrowed down to a simple process of elimination. I sincerely doubt that I will ever vote Conservative; Labour have abolished student loans, introduced tuition fees and seem to add a new crackpot policy to their list almost daily; the Independent candidates never let me know what they stand for (the first I hear of them is when I see their names on the ballot paper); so that leaves me with the Liberal Democrats, whose lack of backbone bothers me.
I feel a certain responsibility to vote, as a functioning member of British society and out of respect for the struggle that so many women took part in for me, as a woman, to be allowed to have my say. If I don’t vote, what right do I have to criticise the way the country is run? But my dilemma is this: what do I do if there is simply no one for whom I wish to vote? If none of the parties standing in my constituency have policies that I agree with or wish to condone? I cannot believe that choosing ‘the best of a bad bunch’ fulfils my responsibility to take part in the democratic process.
There are, of course, several issues to be addressed here. Perhaps my first grumble, that of wasted votes in areas that are strongholds for another party, could best be addressed by a system of proportional representation, or at least one modelled on the concept. I heartily regret that I have a very limited understanding of the way different political systems function; it is not something that was included in the curriculum in school or in sixth form college when I was there. But surely there must be a way for me to vote for a party rather than a candidate, thus removing the need for parties to waste money sponsoring candidates in individual constituencies they stand no chance of winning. The German two-vote system, while unquestionably plagued by its own problems, should provide food for thought when redesigning a system that is out of date in so many ways.
The brand of democracy that we have in Britain is by definition designed to suppress the minority. This is by no means restricted to the UK, but I don’t want to set myself up as an expert on international politics, since I often have difficulty grasping what’s going on within my own borders.
When I say that our political structures are biased against minorities, I am not simply referring to the process by which the party with the backing of the majority rules the country for the next 4 years. While coalition governments undoubtedly have their benefits, there is also the risk that with a wide range of opinions from more than one party, no one would be able to agree on anything.
My objection is that with the constituency system, I am subject to a postcode lottery when it comes to the number of choices I have. I come from a rural area, and not all parties have a candidate standing in my home constituency. I would seriously consider voting for the Green Party – but there is never a Green Party candidate. And even if there were, would there be any point? My constituency is, and always has been, a Tory stronghold, and I can be reasonably certain that my vote will make no difference to that. My voice is silenced because my neighbours feel differently – where is the democracy in that? I have voted twice, and both times felt a vague sense of frustration that mine would be, essentially, a ‘wasted’ vote.
In both elections since I reached the age when I was eligible to vote, my choices have been narrowed down to a simple process of elimination. I sincerely doubt that I will ever vote Conservative; Labour have abolished student loans, introduced tuition fees and seem to add a new crackpot policy to their list almost daily; the Independent candidates never let me know what they stand for (the first I hear of them is when I see their names on the ballot paper); so that leaves me with the Liberal Democrats, whose lack of backbone bothers me.
I feel a certain responsibility to vote, as a functioning member of British society and out of respect for the struggle that so many women took part in for me, as a woman, to be allowed to have my say. If I don’t vote, what right do I have to criticise the way the country is run? But my dilemma is this: what do I do if there is simply no one for whom I wish to vote? If none of the parties standing in my constituency have policies that I agree with or wish to condone? I cannot believe that choosing ‘the best of a bad bunch’ fulfils my responsibility to take part in the democratic process.
There are, of course, several issues to be addressed here. Perhaps my first grumble, that of wasted votes in areas that are strongholds for another party, could best be addressed by a system of proportional representation, or at least one modelled on the concept. I heartily regret that I have a very limited understanding of the way different political systems function; it is not something that was included in the curriculum in school or in sixth form college when I was there. But surely there must be a way for me to vote for a party rather than a candidate, thus removing the need for parties to waste money sponsoring candidates in individual constituencies they stand no chance of winning. The German two-vote system, while unquestionably plagued by its own problems, should provide food for thought when redesigning a system that is out of date in so many ways.
posted by Gonetomars at 8:22 am
1 Comments:
Wow...so much to address. The American system certaintly has plenty of problems. Outside of the local level, third parties just don't happen, and haven't for a long time. The American system has too much money, and has a system that entrenches the incumbant so that actual competitive elections only happen if someone retires. Unfortunately, it's only getting worse. The one nice thing, is that you can vote for anyone you'd like as president, so that you, in a sense, directly elect him. I'll worry about the electoral college system another time. Keep up the good blogs
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