tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post5111460620856550378..comments2024-03-28T09:22:36.967+13:00Comments on Offsetting Behaviour: Playing the crowdEric Cramptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-71869133851256898982011-11-15T08:03:10.501+13:002011-11-15T08:03:10.501+13:00@Eric Possibly, but my preference still lies with ...@Eric Possibly, but my preference still lies with a system of proportional representation.Latsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-58659302479470238072011-11-14T16:09:46.378+13:002011-11-14T16:09:46.378+13:00@Lats: You can make a pretty good argument that, u...@Lats: You can make a pretty good argument that, under FPP, the interests of those minor party votes get incorporated into the policy platform decisions of the two main parties. So instead of ACT folks perhaps getting their policy views incorporated into policy by post-election negotiations, ACT voters would roll into the National Party and have some influence on the party's platform-setting. There's some increase in small party influence under MMP, but those voters' influence wouldn't be zero under FPP.Eric Cramptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-27472054716815527452011-11-14T15:39:57.348+13:002011-11-14T15:39:57.348+13:00@Eric - indeed, and thanks for the compliment.
I...@Eric - indeed, and thanks for the compliment. <br /><br />I get very frustrated by people who come up with these wacky ideas, but can't think them through to their logical end-points. I had a heated conversation with someone who wanted to get rid of MMP. I asked why, and her response was because it allowed weirdos like Hone Harawera, the Greens, and the Maori Party into parliament. I made the comment that in the case of the Greens at least, a significant minority of the population actually voted for them, and that didn't those 250,000 odd people deserve to have their voice heard in the house? (plucking a figure out of the air there, but I shouldn't be out by too many hopefully.) It turns out she was simply a bigot who objected to anyone who she didn't like being allowed a voice in parliament, so she was pretty happy with the Nats and Labour, but the minor parties were all too weird and radical for her liking, so should be banned.<br /><br />Sure, MMP needs a tweak or two to improve it, but I don't want to go back to the old 2 party system where so many of our votes really didn't count. If you lived in a strongly blue or red electorate there really was no point in voting, and only if you happened to live in one of the swing seats was there any reall likelihood that your vote made any difference at all. And yes, I know that individually my vote has little impact on the result, but cumulatively under MMP they at least matter. Under FPP it is theoretically possible for a party to get fewer votes overall but be able to form the government (this happened in 1978), and that simply isn't right.Latsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-66748940235563263572011-11-14T14:45:54.545+13:002011-11-14T14:45:54.545+13:00@Lats: if you enjoy doing it, it's not irratio...@Lats: if you enjoy doing it, it's not irrational to do! It's only irrational if you think you're affecting the outcome. You've a duty not to reduce the average quality of the vote, and you wouldn't, so have fun!Eric Cramptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-67810600999383734032011-11-14T14:24:52.194+13:002011-11-14T14:24:52.194+13:00I had a conversation the other day with a couple o...I had a conversation the other day with a couple of folk advocating compulsory voting. Such a ludicrous idea, yet seems to have a fair bit of traction out there. They didn't seem to understand that compulsion would in no way improve the quality of the votes cast or the outcome of said election. And of course I got the "well, if you don't vote you can't complain about the outcome!" comment. I say bollocks to that.<br /><br />Having said that, I like to vote. I'm one of those odd fish who gets a warm fuzzy feeling from participating in the democratic process even though I am fully aware of the relative insignificance of my individual ballot choice.Latsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-71744453364423451062011-11-12T10:38:21.944+13:002011-11-12T10:38:21.944+13:00Well said! An excellent idea! This one-man one-v...Well said! An excellent idea! This one-man one-vote is rubbish, we'd be better off picking 100 people like we do juries. Ideally we'd be better off removing the compulsion on taxation, then let any perosn in power convince us to pay for his dreams voluntarily.<br /><br />Still, getting rid of the dross is the first step.KPnoreply@blogger.com