Thursday, June 21, 2018

Prop Rep...Training Camp For The Battle Royale Opens.

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FirstVille


I am not an expert, but I am starting to pay attention, looking for honest brokers.

On the latter count, I'm not yet sure about Dipper MLA and musical law guy Bob D'Eith, but separate from some partisan sniping, I thought he made a few interesting broader perspective points in his recent GStraight OpEd, one of which was the following:

...In our current system, majority governments have absolute control over the direction of government. However, majority governments rarely reflect a majority of votes.

In fact, since 1928 there has only been one general election where a single party has received over 50 percent of the popular vote. That means that over the past 50 years, a party with less than 50% of the vote has held 100 percent of the power. It is time that our representatives in the legislature truly represent the votes cast by citizens...



Except...

Couldn't you make the case that a majority of voters (i.e. 57%) helped to put our current coalition government in power?

Which, I guess, is the larger point.

No?



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Meanwhile, the Keef has his say....With a line so short, cynical and fringey that it does not even deserve its own 'Report'...Because, I guess, fine folks like  Jim Shepard and Smilin' Sammy Sullivan represent the 'center-of-everything''...Or some such thing.


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7 comments:

e.a.f. said...

Does make you wonder what they are up to and how they think this will benefit their B.C. Lieberal Party, unless they plan to set up a different political party to counter the NDP/Green coalition. Its takes real money to do something of the things which they are doing and have done and that isn't because they are all that concerned about democracy, in my opinion, so its follow the money and see where it goes and who benefit O.K. its a run on sentence or free flow thought.

Harvey O has a post up regarding P.R. AND FPTP. Opinions vary...???

Lew said...

Let’s see…. For 16 years FPTP elections have resulted in a political party financially supported by big corporations winning largely because of that financial support and the supportive messaging by corporate media. Said corporations were in return rewarded with subsidies, biased labour and environmental regulations, tax relief, ministerial access, and lax enforcement of the law by that political party; all to the detriment of the public interest.

Previously respected public institutions and government entities such as the Public Service Agency, Ministry of the Attorney General, Office of the Ombudsperson, several Legislative Committees, Office of the Auditor General, and major Crown corporations like BC Hydro, ICBC, BC Lottery, and Pavco all had their public trust damaged to an extent that it may never be restored. Public assets were sold off to favoured insiders, secret long-term contracts were forged, and the law was violated in some cases to prevent the public from discovering the truth.

That political party, those same corporations, and lobbyists who exist only because of them now are pouring huge sums of money into a propaganda campaign attempting to prevent me from voting for an electoral system that would make what transpired during the last 16 years much more unlikely.

Gee, I wonder how I should vote?

Graham said...

Thanks Lew, you said what I feel . Do you mind if I use that where ever I comment,which isn't much. You have clearly and concisely and without names or name calling formulated a perfect answer to or reason for,voting yes.
The best I came up with was "looking at who all the guys are encouraging voting no is a good read on why to vote yes." Or, they zig, I'm going to zag.

RossK said...

eaf--

I strongly disagree with Harvey O on this one, including his analysis of how the current coalition governing BC operates.

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Graham and Lew--

I think both your POV's are strong ones.


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Lew said...

Thanks Graham. If you think my ramblings are worth repeating, I'm happy to have you do so.

You're bang on with the zigging and zagging. Both the direction and directions of some folks should be avoided in the public interest.

RossK said...

Lew....

Start your own blog!

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Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

Bob is my favourite MLA. Thoughtful, energetic fellow with what I hope is a great political future.