Proportional Representation

I have spoken about this before after the 2015 election:-

http://caldariborderzone.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/electoral-reform.html

but I feel it needs to be reiterated as now the first past the post system is not fit for purpose.

Proportional representation is a type of electoral system that decides the make-up of a parliament by allocating seats on the basis of the number of votes each party received. Although there are many different types of PR, this is the base requirement for a system to be described as proportional.

Rather than the winner-take all approach of other systems, PR ensures that votes carry equal weight. To do this, multi-member constituencies are used. This means that a single area elects more than one representative. The size of this area can vary according to the system, ranging from the size of the whole country to a county or local vicinity.

As I said earlier PR is dominant over Europe and the rest of the world and it is about time the UK adopted one form of it.

Months after the election result, a new survey by pollsters BMG has found that 57 per cent of the public agree with the principle that “the number of seats a party gets should broadly reflect its proportion of the total votes cast” – compared to only 9 per cent who disagree.

The scientifically weighted poll found a similarly large majority in favour of changing the current voting system. 51 per cent of the population said they were “unhappy with the current electoral system and want it to change” compared to only 28 per cent who want to keep FPTP.

In 2011 the Government held a referendum on whether to replace the current First Past the Post system with another system called Alternative Vote.

Alternative Vote was not a proportional system, however, and failed to inspire any enthusiasm. The bid was defeated and the existing system retained. It must be pointed out that AV has no similarities with PR what so ever and if a PR referendum was called it would be completely different.

The Wiki will give you a complete description of what PR is:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation