The case against Proportional Representation

Why Westminster-style democracy is superior to the Knesset circus

[A House of Commons’ debate. Does the UK's democratic system sacrifice democracy for stability? Image retrieved from Parliament.uk]

Introduction

A tale of two systems. The UK's Westminster versus the Israeli Knesset. A purist's First Past the Post (FPTP) dream versus a purist's Proportional Representation (PR) heaven. Single member constituencies where the candidate with the highest number of votes wins versus a distribution of seats exactly - or nearly exactly - equal to the percentage of votes cast for each political party. And despite there being a world lining up to disagree with me, I boldly declare that the Westminster approach is far superior and controversially, far more democratic.

Chapter 1: Blessed stability and imagined safe seats.

Chapter 2: Representing the major minorities.

Chapter 3: Minor minorities and voting for the national interest.

Chapter 4: The balance of power between the major minorities and the majority.

Chapter 5: “We have no democratic choice”: The falsehood thrown at First Past the Post.

Chapter 6: Coalition building: A question of timing.

Chapter 7: What is democracy?