Comment on UK at risk of ‘failed election’ without major reforms, watchdog warns

• HumanPenguin@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Do you actually feel any benifit from local MPs under fptp.

  Seems party whips make them of no real value locall

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  • jabjoe@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    It’s someone you can go see, or write to, to help you with issues. A point of contact.

    But I do think party whips need to go. If parties can’t hold together without the whips, maybe they shouldn’t be held together.

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    • HumanPenguin@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      As long as your issue fits the party line. If not its someone who will go out of their way to avoid answering the question. Or just send out form letters that are of no value.

      Unfortunatly with the current system. If your MPs is tory nothing is done about anything because 99% of issues are austerity related.

      As for labour. Currently they dont seem to have a party line beyond being competent non corrupt tories.

      Seriously in 50 plus years. I have never known anyone who had a positive result from seeking an MPs help. Just the same crap answers you hear from national figures.

      Local politicians are more help. Or at least were before austerity hit them so hard.

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      • jabjoe@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        My local MP got an unjust parking ticket cancelled for me, and my family and me, with a distinctive last name, write to her often upset with her party and her voting with them. Every. Single. Time.

        Others have similiar with her. Lots of MPs are like this and it’s often stuff that doesn’t fit into party lines.

        MPs who aren’t there for their constituency need kicking out. We need better systems for that.

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  • byroon@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I don’t but it is the argument that people always make against introducing PR

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    • wewbull@feddit.uk ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      …and there’s multiple ways of achieving it. It’s a valid criticism of a number of PR systems, so I don’t see why you wouldn’t choose a PR system that doesn’t have the issue.

      I like STV with multi-member constituencies. You merge a number of existing neighbouring constituencies together (Say 5) and vote to elect 5 representatives for that new large constituency based on people’s ranked preferences. There’s a few things I like about it:

      • It avoids the “Party List” concept, which is just the ultimate safe seat.
      • It still allows for independent candidates, as party affiliation is not a material concern in any aspect of the election.
      • It gives people a choice of representatives. Ever lived in a constituency where your MP doesn’t share your values? Well, now you have a much better chance of at least one of them being on your side of an argument.
      • People can vote for candidates who have “no chance” of winning, safe in the knowledge that their 2nd/3rd/4th preference will still get their support if their first preference is eliminated.

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