One of the cardinal rules in designing an electoral system is it needs to fit the place and political culture. The political culture in Wales, as throughout the wider UK, is grounded in the link between members and constituents.
In only three years the former chief executive of Air New Zealand has taken the Nationals from their second-worst ever performance to more than 40 per cent of the vote.
If the Party obtained the councillors in those areas where their vote merited it, it would mean more Tory representatives on the ground, and voters seeing them serving their communities.
Every major electoral reform for the past two hundred years has been heralded as the death knell of Toryism. Instead our party adapted – and thrived.
Netanyahu’s new government is relied upon a motley crew of extremists. Britain must avoid a similar fate under proportional representation.
It’s a recipe for governments stitched up behind closed doors and never put to the voters on any ballot paper.
Proportional representation makes it harder to hold politicians accountable, and delivers governments with agendas that nobody voted for.
A proportional distribution of seats within multi-member wards would achieve greater fairness and more competition.
Two cheers for a measure that, though mostly about managing, dividing and taming popular opinion, remains a reforming landmark.
The Electoral Reform Society calculates that a tiny change in votes would have given May a bare majority last spring. But how much difference would this have made?
Labour’s deal with the LibDems to introduce STV to Scotland’s local elections has led to instability, confusion and a bad deal for the taxpayer.
Burning down a dirty house is more newsworthy than cleaning it, but not wiser.
The 32nd Dáil is an object warning against PR, with a huge increase in minor parties making stable government very difficult.
Those who claim the Conservatives would benefit from a spell in opposition to ‘rest and detox’ are misguided. My first nine years in Parliament were spent in opposition, and it was a frustrating experience.