undefined | Better HN

0 pointsnikitaga4y ago0 comments

> how close France was recently, to Marine Le Pen and genuine fascism. Or how quickly Venezuela turned into a one-party state under Chavez.

People who have strong opinions against proportional representation invariably seem to be completely uninformed about its particulars, and love nothing more than to bring up random countries that they know nothing about and that have little to do with proportional representation, or blame all the country's problems on an election system for no reason.

1) Both French and Venezuelian presidential elections were held under a simple voting system that is a lot closer to FPTP than to proportional representation in its mechanics. The only difference from FPTP is that they have a second round between the two candidates who got the most votes. In the US two party system that second round wouldn't make any difference 99% of the time.

2) It takes some epic lack of self awareness to complain about some right wing loser in another country, when your own country's FPTP system elected Trump despite him losing the popular vote, and then almost elected him again. Whereas the French loser you're complaining about lost 66%-to-34%, and even worse than that the previous time she ran.

3) Venezuela's problems have nothing to do with their election system. Nor do presidential elections have anything to do with proportional representation. But if you like looking at random countries and assigning all their problems to their voting systems, why don't you look at this map and tell me how well those countries have been served by FPTP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting#/me...

> most Americans prefer political gridlock to any well-tuned agenda

You don't know what Americans prefer, because currently they are exhibiting their preferences under duress. The primaries only serve to choose a candidate who will be "electable" under a broken FPTP system come election time – it is a losing proposition from the very start. Americans are only given the illusion of choice, with all the fanfare to keep them happy. They never see any real choice the way people living in proportional representation countries do.

> a lot better than letting the more extreme left or right-wing agendas come in and flip the table.

Lol. US politics is disintegrating largely because of FPTP elections, UK did Brexit largely because of FPTP elections, you think other countries on that FPTP map are doing much better? Proportional representation systems are a lot better at keeping extremists out of power, because in FPTP extremists hijack mainstream parties who win elections and end up governing.

In proportional representation systems, extremists get elected in small quantities and then productive coalitions form to keep them out of power, so they end up just warming the seats in parliament instead of destroying the country. This isn't just my opinion, it's been studied, researched and proven. Look. It. Up.

0 comments

nl4y ago

I don't think any of your points are wrong, but you neglected to address properly the substantial and useful point the person you are replying to made: That it's the primaries in the US system that provide citizen driven democracy.

That's a fair point, and a meaningful one too.

> The primaries only serve to choose a candidate who will be "electable" under a broken FPTP system come election time – it is a losing proposition from the very start. Americans are only given the illusion of choice, with all the fanfare to keep them happy.

Well there's clearly some evidence this isn't the case. 2 out of the last 3 presidents (Obama and Trump) were not the pre-ordained establishment candidate, and it was broad popularity by primary voters that caused them to become the candidate.

nikitagaOP4y ago

Their "broad popularity" only ever existed in the context of US FPTP election, in the context of a two-party system. If Americans had the option to vote for e.g. greens or labour or fiscal but-not-social conservatives, neither Obama nor Trump would be as popular. But Americans don't have such options, because even though some of them are right there on the ballot, voting for anyone but the two major parties under FPTP is literally throwing your vote away.

And it's not any different in primaries. Primaries are also FPTP, with all the same mechanics. The notion that you're better off voting your heart in primaries without consideration for all the standard FPTP mechanics making your vote useless is just another lie to make Americans feel better about their broken system, and is not backed by any math.

noduerme4y ago

I brought up France and Venezuela as examples because they are more analogous to the US, in that they have powerful presidencies. It was to point out that the FPTP voting system is not all; more important for balancing the people against the state is the power (or lack thereof) of a parliament or congress to check the executive branch. The US is headed in a direction wherein the congress simply rubber stamps the executive of the same party; but again, to my point about Americans preferring gridlock, this is exactly why the opposition tends to gain seats in off-year elections.

And to my point about the wide range available in primaries within each party, it's exactly why longstanding politicians lose their seats to others within their own party who are more attuned to the electorate.

I think the focus on voting systems is misguided, but in any case, it's written into the Constitution and has been this way since the 1770s, and there is zero chance, ever, that the United States will adopt a parliamentary system. So the whole thing is moot. And as interesting as it is to read the opinion of America's faults from someone from a country with only one functioning political party, where all local and party elections are determined by force / kidnapping / murdering the opposition, it's tiresome to be lectured as to which system is more successful at improving people's lives or fulfilling the electorate's demands.

nl4y ago

I don't entirely agree.

I live in Australia which has a preferential voting system, and yet two parties dominate for the most part.

There are electoral-related reasons for this but also there are branding/marketing reasons that make it more likely that large parties continue to dominate.

It's easier for large brands (parties) to hold mind share. It's very hard for minor parties to build a brand built around anything other than opposition to specific things or outrage.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

nl4y ago

That's a fair point, and a meaningful one too.

nikitagaOP4y ago

noduerme4y ago

nl4y ago

I don't entirely agree.

I live in Australia which has a preferential voting system, and yet two parties dominate for the most part.

There are electoral-related reasons for this but also there are branding/marketing reasons that make it more likely that large parties continue to dominate.

It's easier for large brands (parties) to hold mind share. It's very hard for minor parties to build a brand built around anything other than opposition to specific things or outrage.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse