UKH

This isn't a thread for the Johnson fanboys - they've made it clear that the theoretical and vastly overplayed concept of an almost impossible Corbyn majority makes it worth them voting to plunge the UK into financial dire straits, severely hindering the livelihoods and opportunities of its people, and damaging its standing and influence in the world.

But for the others, the ones who see that for the inevitable catastrophe it surely is, and mainly those who live in a constituency where both Tory and non-Tory outcomes are possible: How would you feel if you were to wake up on Friday morning to news of a very close Tory Brexit majority, knowing that if only you and a small number of others had used your vote more wisely in preventing a Tory majority in your constituency, the UK might still have been recoverable?

isn't it time we all started protesting for fairer representation?   A citizen's revolt or strike?

If a Brexit that the majority oppose, is pushed through on the back of an election won with 35% of the popular vote, then I see that as quite inevitable. But right now that's not where we are. We still have a chance to prevent such an undemocratic and damaging outcome.

I live in a Tory stronghold but i'm still going to vote Labour (second place last time) just in case there are many others in the area who feel the same about Brexit and the shift too far right of the Tory party.

You never know, they may even lose some strong holds.

Hong Kong style? We're not scared enough. Yet.

jk

I cannot see this happening. One of the most amazing things about the Hong Kong protests is the massive support of the people. They are also willing to vote for change: in the last election the ruling party lost 96 out of their 119 seats.

In contrast the UK is still divided pretty much down the middle. Above all, most CON and LAB voters will keep on voting CON and LAB, respectively, regardless of leave or remain.

Change towards fairer representation is impossible if the people don't want to vote for it.

PS. It is not all about FPTP. Macron's new party would have won as well in an FPTP system.

There was a referendum on it a few years ago.

In 2011. Which came out very strongly in favour of the current fptp system. Just over 2:1 on a 42% turnout, so pretty conclusive. So whatever anyones thoughts on the merits or otherwise of FPTP / PR in 2019, I really dont think there would be any chance of a referendum on the subject any time soon; it would be a waste of time.

yes, I didn't get to vote due to a local government cockup

A bit off post but there was a program about Simon and Garfunkel's The Boxer today.

Some lines:

 I am just a poor boy though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest......

'Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving", but the fighter still remains
Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie

The 2011 referendum was deeply flawed, from proposing AV rather than proper proportional representation onwards. But I agree that now is not the time for a rerun even in much improved form. 

That referendum was killed off by a Tory policy - well supported by MSM - to discredit it on the grounds of it being too complicated, even though something similar is used perfectly well elsewhere. Of course, the readers weren't informed of that, and the implication that they're being presumed to be thick compared to some of their foreign counterparts was kept very quiet.

There are parallels with today's MSM message, which is to scare people into actively voting against a "Marxist" opposition, even though the chances of said opposition gaining the majority it needs to enact any of its less centrist policies is effectively nil.

AV would have been a significant improvement over the crude system we have at present. Specifically, in the current context, it formalizes the concept of tactical voting.

Yes but it was hard to get everyone behind it as I remember. A hard sell without some unity. 

The Tories scuppered it. But neither the concept itself, nor the referendum, was 'deeply flawed.'

The fundamental problem with the current system is accountability or lack thereof. Politicians show nothing but contempt for the voting public with blatant lies during the campaign trail... Either that or they don't understand their own manifesto.

The only way to address this in my opinion is for the PM to give periodic updates on the budget and say 10 key campaign pledges. I accept that pledges can become undeliverable but this should be explained with good reason.

Well, here’s ten reasons why reform was rejected:

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/0... 

I’d say that shows the proposed solution was flawed, and that combined with a range of factors like Tory opposition, and especially the toxic Nick Clegg