Originally Posted by
MadAmster
... as so many have said over the Brexit result, them's the rules.
Them as didn't vote in the Brexit referendum have no cause for complaint at the result. Them as voted Remain can bemoan all those who didn't vote in the referendum but the result was, and still is, the result. That result may be questioned as to its sanity but them's the rules.
FPTP always used to see lurches from left to right, or vice versa, and each successive government undoing much of what its predecessor did simply because they could. As I wrote in a previous post, 35% of the votes delivered 64% of the seats. That shouldn't give Labour a mandate, but FPTP says it does. Them's the rules.
I think FPTP needs replacing with PR. That way no party would, more than likely, ever get a majority. There would have to be a coalition and that would see the extremes of the various partners' policies ditched. We'd end up, most elections, with a sensible centrist government.
That has kept Holland sensible until the last election which returned a coalition of a far right party, two right parties and a centrist one. The man appointed Prime Minister is not a member of any of the 4. He is a career Civil Servant selected by the 4 once they agreed none of the leaders of the 4 would be PM.
Unfortunately, I think this coalition will implode inside 12 months as 2 of the parties are new. One 3 years old at the election and the other 3 months old. A third, the PPV, is a one member party, Wilders, who has always been on the outside looking in, doing nothing more than criticising the government of the day and never, ever coming up with any solutions. PVV and BBB have no people with experience in government. NSC does have a few with parliamentary experience. VVD was the largest party in the coalitions of the previous 14 years and is very much Conservative, pro business, pro the rich. Some of the points in the coalition agreement aids companies to reduce tax levels, aids the top 10% to reduce taxes whilst the rest can "look forward" to no tax breaks and increases in VAT. Hopefully, the next election, which I expect to be early next year, will provide a sensible mix of a centrist government.
No system is perfect but I think PR is better than FPTP.