O/T:- ⚠️Impressed with the leadership [The UK Party Politics Thread]

[the_anticlough]

There are systems that do give local accountability to an MP. For instance you could have single transferrable vote for constituency MPs and then 'county' MPs based on the support proportions across the county. The set up is a bit Pittesque, but the voting system would be much fairer (either than the current system or Pitt!).

Recent parliamentarians have shown that contact to local constituencies doesn't matter, it's kind of an optional extra for them

Tory MP Chris Pincher hardly turned up in Tamworth for a year or more after he was exposed for the ***ual assaults, groping men in the Carlton Club

Nadine Dories never turned up in Bedfordshire. And Matt Hancock could just zip off to the jungle for a few weeks without as much a by-your-leave. So much for any link between MPs and their constituents

If we really wanted to keep constituency MPs, smart algorithms could allocated proportionally-elected MPS far more rationally than what party central offices do now.

It shouldn't be a problem, and certainly not an obstacle to having fair representation for what the nation actually wants (as opposed to accepting a 4th choice to stop a 5th)

[sidders]

Recent parliamentarians have shown that contact to local constituencies doesn't matter, it's kind of an optional extra for them

Tory MP Chris Pincher hardly turned up in Tamworth for a year or more after he was exposed for the ***ual assaults, groping men in the Carlton Club

Nadine Dories never turned up in Bedfordshire. And Matt Hancock could just zip off to the jungle for a few weeks without as much a by-your-leave. So much for any link between MPs and their constituents

If we really wanted to keep constituency MPs, smart algorithms could allocated proportionally-elected MPS far more rationally than what party central offices do now.

It shouldn't be a problem, and certainly not an obstacle to having fair representation for what the nation actually wants (as opposed to accepting a 4th choice to stop a 5th)

The 3 MPs mentioned above have / will get their comeuppance on election day. The only reason my Labour-sympathising friend votes Tory in Mansfield is because his MP is outstanding when it comes to supporting constituents when things go awry. Most of those MPs that ignore the people they serve will eventually be called to account. Best of all is when the MP has local history / knowledge / familial links with the constituency. Most voters will shun algorhythms as angrily as footy fans deplore VAR.

[the_anticlough]

The 3 MPs mentioned above have / will get their comeuppance on election day. The only reason my Labour-sympathising friend votes Tory in Mansfield is because his MP is outstanding when it comes to supporting constituents when things go awry. Most of those MPs that ignore the people they serve will eventually be called to account. Best of all is when the MP has local history / knowledge / familial links with the constituency. Most voters will shun algorhythms as angrily as footy fans deplore VAR.

I don't think they would, I wonder what proportion of folk, including on NCM, have been in touch with a local MP over the last 5 years...

A fat lot of good the present FPTP system has done/is doing. An occasional letter about a planning application or some other gripe shouldn't be an obstacle to having fairer representation.

There would be lots of solutions anyway - it's not an insurmountable problem if you think beyond the current, failed paradigm

[BanjoPie]

I don't think they would, I wonder what proportion of folk, including on NCM, have been in touch with a local MP over the last 5 years...

A fat lot of good the present FPTP system has done/is doing. An occasional letter about a planning application or some other gripe shouldn't be an obstacle to having fairer representation.

There would be lots of solutions anyway - it's not an insurmountable problem if you think beyond the current, failed paradigm

why the fancy words? - You could have just said 'model' !

[Bohinen]

why the fancy words? - You could have just said 'model' !

Given your first post in this thread, I would keep my head down, if I were you.

[BanjoPie]

Given your first post in this thread, I would keep my head down, if I were you.

If not for my post this thread would not exist!! - anyway, whilst I was initially impressed with the leadership, it didn't last long. Had you have taken the trouble to read all my posts on this thread you would have read that I changed my mind as events took place. I was a Tory voter but will not be voting for them in the next election as it appears I was voting for a bunch of criminals.

[Newish Pie]

I don't think they would, I wonder what proportion of folk, including on NCM, have been in touch with a local MP over the last 5 years...

A fat lot of good the present FPTP system has done/is doing. An occasional letter about a planning application or some other gripe shouldn't be an obstacle to having fairer representation.

There would be lots of solutions anyway - it's not an insurmountable problem if you think beyond the current, failed paradigm

I think there's something to be said for MPs having a constituency link, though (for me) that's nowhere near enough to justify the current FPTP system.

I agree with others that there ought to be scope (and reward or penalty at the ballot box) for level of engagement with the community they represent. There are good and bad constituency MPs and ward councillors of all parties, and the response to the Nadine Dorries' of this world is probably some kind of minimum standards of community engagement leading to the option of a recall petition. There ought to be a way to do this fairly.

I don't know how many people here live in Lillian Greenwood's constituency (Nottingham South), but IIRC she did some good work trying (and I think getting) some answers at the end of the Hardy era, and raising County's plight in Parliament. It's this kind of thing that probably won't happen without a local link of some kind, which doesn't have to be the current system.

I'm a bit suspicious of party list systems where parties can just list candidates and they'll be elected without individual scrutiny. It could be argued that there are constituencies where a performing seal with the right colour rosette would be elected, and I guess that's true. But if someone does something disgraceful, it doesn't seem right to me that they could be named on a party list and sneak in.

The answer might be a mixed system with local MPs plus share-of-vote MPs from a list. It's a tricky one... I've not yet found a system I'm entirely happy with, but I'm very unhappy with the current one.