The last paragraph just about sums it all up.
The choice is Labour’s, to go on trying to secure narrow, shallow and occasional FPTP victories on policies only acceptable to those who want nothing to change, especially on climate, or mobilise and build the progressive majority that exists in our country. Infrequent, weak single party government or strong progressive alliances most of the time? The flick of a switch in terms of how we count votes is a game changer for progressives and the planet.
I don’t want a system that relies on the least worst option. This system is low hanging fruit for abusive regimes with a war chest to spend on campaigns.
Yeah not surprised with LFF. Lots of surface level commentary without substance. But absolutely agree with your analysis. I wish it wasn’t the case that we have to wait even longer for electoral reform but the realist in me knows this needs to happen in the way you described.
I’ll go further and say that whilst Labour are successful (two terms three terms whatever) this will also never happen. I don’t have faith in them not to be sucked in again by power like the Tories have been. I think only a coalition can force the thing through.
People criticise Labour for dropping pledges, or not committing to bringing in proportional representation, during a cost of living crisis and a media war led by the right-wing press that’s constantly distracting people with inflammatory rage bait about small boats and culture wars.
Those people didn’t learn the lesson of 2019; do not write a manifesto covering loads of seemingly disparate issues.
The cool kids in the room, of which I very much am one, understand the connection between voting systems and under-representation, because it was part of our initiation in to the cool kids club. Unfortunately most people have better things to do with their lives than study to pass that exam, so it isn’t clear. It’s a failure of the cool kids to communicate that connection simply and correctly.
Or to put it another way, electoral reform underpins everything, but it’s feels both very abstract, and like the people who are promoting it are trying to change to rules of game, because they can’t currently win. And tbh, there is a lot of truth in that, even if the current rules are massively unfair.