With research already done long ago, our votes for the current first-past-the-post (FPTP) were made while the delivery envelope was still warm. There was no need to dwell on the three vaguely described (trust us!) “Prop-Rep” choices; a dog is a dog!
Presently in B.C., two parties typically command 40-45 per cent of the popular vote, and the Greens (since 2001) with anywhere from 8-17 per cent of the vote. Since 1991, the government has been either NDP or Liberal majority, except for the current NDP/Green coalition.
Here are a few Prop-Rep issues, some already raised in other letters: regional local seats awarded largely based on votes in the Lower Mainland; backroom deals to secure a coalition not on the ballot; long periods of unstable government as wheeling-and dealing goes on (Germany and Italy today); added costs and more MLAs (Lord, save us!); disenfranchising 40-45 per cent of the BC electorate (centre-right voters) to satisfy the 8-17 per cent Greens (who, for the foreseeable future, will always have a share of power under Prop-Rep); possible multiple fringe parties sharing power tomorrow (Israel today).
While the current FPTP allows for the occasional coalition to govern, they have a history of collapsing sooner, as stable government requires honest and flexible partners, nouns and adjectives rarely linked with politics. Under Prop-Rep look for more elections, difficulty dislodging a bad coalition, and clear, single party mandates and accountability likely a thing of the past. Nationally, the Liberals were quick to grasp this as they broke their pre-election promise on federal Prop-Rep voting.
“Prop-Rep” promotes hegemony (or tyranny?) of the left today, and perhaps of the right in future, and is no way to a stable, accountable future. Vote to keep the current FPTP… warts and all !
Len Flint
Qualicum Beach