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0 pointshkt9mo ago0 comments

The UK hasn't elected a government on 50% or more of the vote since the 1950s:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/717004/general-elections...

It is hard to call minority rule democratic, really. I've no issue with your point on the OSA and think it is widely supported, but let's be realistic, representation in the UK is virtual on matters like this: widely supported, but mostly by coincidence.

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overfeed9mo ago

2-party electoral systems (likely to bear >50% majority governments) are also not very democratic, in a way. There's no perfect system, but I prefer minority governments to a 2-party duopoly. YMMV.

grues-dinner9mo ago

The UK has been effectively a two party system anyway within living memory (Labour and Tories). Only rarely (e.g. 2010) does the token third party, the Lib Dems) get to be in coalition, and I think no one else has won anything since 1910.

In a monkey's paw moment for everyone who dislikes only having effectively two parties to choose from, this may soon be changing as Reform is poised to overtake the Tories.

hdgvhicv9mo ago

Technically 2017-19 was a minority government where a party in Northern Ireland sold its votes for about £100k/mp/vote to prop up May.

overfeed9mo ago

> The UK has been effectively a two party system anyway within living memory

> ...this may soon be changing as Reform is poised to overtake the Tories.

How long has the Farage-shaped tail been wagging the dog? It probably was before 2010. He managed notch many wins without winning a majority government by getting the 2 major parties - especially the Tories - to adopt his parties' positions.

foldr9mo ago

It's a two party system in the sense that only two parties have a chance of winning any given UK general election, but the popular vote is quite widely distributed among parties. In the last election, 33.7% of people voted Labour and 23.7% people voted for the second largest party (the Conservatives):

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1478478/uk-election-resu...

cbsmith9mo ago

I think you're making the original poster's point for them. It's very clear a minority government is not the one forcing OSA on people. They don't even have the power.

Arguably, minority rule is more democratic than majority rule, because minority rule isn't "the minority does whatever they want".

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overfeed9mo ago

2-party electoral systems (likely to bear >50% majority governments) are also not very democratic, in a way. There's no perfect system, but I prefer minority governments to a 2-party duopoly. YMMV.

grues-dinner9mo ago

In a monkey's paw moment for everyone who dislikes only having effectively two parties to choose from, this may soon be changing as Reform is poised to overtake the Tories.

hdgvhicv9mo ago

Technically 2017-19 was a minority government where a party in Northern Ireland sold its votes for about £100k/mp/vote to prop up May.

overfeed9mo ago

> The UK has been effectively a two party system anyway within living memory

> ...this may soon be changing as Reform is poised to overtake the Tories.

foldr9mo ago

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1478478/uk-election-resu...

cbsmith9mo ago

I think you're making the original poster's point for them. It's very clear a minority government is not the one forcing OSA on people. They don't even have the power.

Arguably, minority rule is more democratic than majority rule, because minority rule isn't "the minority does whatever they want".

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse