BS: How we elect people

Subject: How we elect people
From: Thompson
Date: 28 May 19 - 03:31 PM

Here in Ireland, elections are a savage blood sport, with days-long counts where the people standing for elections discover themselves elected… almost… then when another series of second, third… fourteenth… fifteenth preferences are counted, victory is snatched from them. This is our system, proportional representation.

Subject: RE: How we elect people
From: Thompson
Date: 28 May 19 - 03:33 PM

Whoops, this should be in BS: non-music!

Subject: RE: BS: How we elect people
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 May 19 - 08:55 AM

In this case, BS stands for Blood Sport.

Israel's recent election is showing up a weakness of [or is it a strength of] the Parliamentary system. Netanyahu's party, despite having a plurality of votes has not been able to form a majority coalition by a deadline so the entire election will have to be done over again very shortly. It seems that one party refused to sign on to give them a governing majority.

Here in the US, we seem to be approaching a Parliamentary system in that the "two party" system is actually a coalition on each side, with each subgroup aligning with the caucus that seems least noxious to them.

At least one state is considering proportional voting which, as noted, allows defeat to be snatched from the jaws of victory.

Subject: RE: BS: How we elect people
From: Thompson
Date: 30 May 19 - 10:04 AM

Full recount of three-quarters of a million votes by preferences next week in Ireland South constituency for the MEPs there - Green heroine Grace O’Sullivan (on the Greenpeace boat when the French secret service bombed it, years of fighting whale hunters - non-violently) and Sinn Fein’s Liadh Ní Riada (daughter of composer Seán Ó Riada) are a few hundred votes apart for the last seat (basically the subs’ bench, as the seat will only exist when Brexit happens and there are no more British MEPs).

Subject: RE: BS: How we elect people
From: Mr Red
Date: 30 May 19 - 04:28 PM

I predict the next UK election will be a hung parliament. Coalition, on the experience of the Brexshit debate in Westminster, will be a long drawn-out mess.

Gentlemen and ladies, place your bets now..................