ARNEY: New voting system alienates representation
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:31 amNew voting system alienates representation
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Iain+Hunter+voting+
system+alienates+representation/1510242/story.html
8 Apr 2009 Times Colonist IAIN HUNTER cruachan@shaw.ca
I don’t know whose idea it was to muddy another provincial election campaign with this second referendum on the single transferable vote proposal. I thought we’d disposed of this nonsense last time.
We should be concentrating on choosing between our current Dear Leader and the lady in pants who wants his job.
We should be thinking about the pros and cons of a carbon tax, whether smooth roads are more important than people living in the rough, whether those who’ve governed us for the past four years are rogues and whether the other lot would be any better.
But, again, we’re also being asked to consider changing the way we choose our legislators.
We’re being urged by electoral reformers to make the number of party bums on seats more closely reflect the percentage of votes that parties receive. We’re being offered a way to give new parties and independents more of a chance and voters more of a choice. To all this I ask: Whatever for? If some people determine which way they vote solely on the basis of political affiliation, they’d probably like to see the percentage of votes cast for their party count for more. But what about the people who place more value in local candidates and what they promise to deliver if elected?
More: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Iain+Hunter+voting+
system+alienates+representation/1510242/story.html
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----- Original Message -----
From: Jeremy Arney
To: cruachan@shaw.ca
Cc: Times Colonist
Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:18 PM
Subject: New Voting System alienates representation
Mr Hunter,
Regarding your piece in the Saturday 18th April edition of the Times Colonist concerning the proposed STV referendum.
You seem to be making the assumption that the present system of Canadian and B C Dictatorships works for everyone except a small group of dissidents, and that if we want to change anything we should behead those who are leading these dictatorships. Not withstanding the anti-terrosist forces designed to protect them against us, this is impracticable. My feeling is that these dictatorships only work for the powerful and rich, not for the ignored, and seemingly despised, people.
Well Mr Hunter, I do not know how old you are but I think probably younger than I, and I am willing to embrace any new idea which will actually give my children, grandchildren and I representation in either level of future governments. I am tired beyond measure of seeing elected members of both houses on the basis not of who they are (Denise Savoie and Corky Evans excluded) but who their leader is, and neither leader can be trusted 1 cm.
The people of BC were charged with the idea of a new voting system and came up with this idea, and you call them tinkers. I actually love tinkering myself, and if something needs to be tinkered with, then tinker away. Maybe instead of deriding it and misrepresenting it to your readers, you could more accurately portrait what could and should really happen - that is real representation by members who could speak freely on behalf of their constituents. If you cannot do that then maybe you could leave it alone, there is already enough bias in The Times Colonist.
No sorry, that's wrong; you have the right and ability to write what you want; unfortunately I do not have the ability to respond in the same fashion.
You referred to a ......."democratic value in a voter's assurance that he or she has a representative in Parliament or legislature who's aware of local issue and pledged to advance them...as far as practical"
Well, Mr Hunter, this might work in a democracy but not in Canada as we are not a democracy by dictionary definition, and the first sign that an elected member in either body is even thinking of opposing his dictator he/she will be thrown away like yesterday's paper. This leads to what you so rightly say about lack of accountablity. Great to be able to change that.
You also mentioned. . . . "That disgraceful coalition proposal in Ottawa, which may not be as dead as some of us believe, shows what can happen when voters choose hung parliaments by not returning majority governments".
It seems to me that a leader brought that on himself by arrogance, deceipt and contempt, and it was a mistimed political coupe that I, for one, wish had succeeded. I have no fear of the BLOQ which I believe is more pro Canada and Canadian People than our current leader.
Have you thought what would really happen if we all voted for our representative instead of a party and therefore the leader of that party? It could appear, not as you would prefer as a majority dictatorship, but as a government of the majority.
What a frightening thought, eh, Mr Hunter?
Regards and thanks for making me respond,
Jeremy Arney
CAP candidate in the 2008 Federal Election - SGI
Victoria BC
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Iain+Hunter+voting+
system+alienates+representation/1510242/story.html
8 Apr 2009 Times Colonist IAIN HUNTER cruachan@shaw.ca
I don’t know whose idea it was to muddy another provincial election campaign with this second referendum on the single transferable vote proposal. I thought we’d disposed of this nonsense last time.
We should be concentrating on choosing between our current Dear Leader and the lady in pants who wants his job.
We should be thinking about the pros and cons of a carbon tax, whether smooth roads are more important than people living in the rough, whether those who’ve governed us for the past four years are rogues and whether the other lot would be any better.
But, again, we’re also being asked to consider changing the way we choose our legislators.
We’re being urged by electoral reformers to make the number of party bums on seats more closely reflect the percentage of votes that parties receive. We’re being offered a way to give new parties and independents more of a chance and voters more of a choice. To all this I ask: Whatever for? If some people determine which way they vote solely on the basis of political affiliation, they’d probably like to see the percentage of votes cast for their party count for more. But what about the people who place more value in local candidates and what they promise to deliver if elected?
More: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Iain+Hunter+voting+
system+alienates+representation/1510242/story.html
===================
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeremy Arney
To: cruachan@shaw.ca
Cc: Times Colonist
Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 3:18 PM
Subject: New Voting System alienates representation
Mr Hunter,
Regarding your piece in the Saturday 18th April edition of the Times Colonist concerning the proposed STV referendum.
You seem to be making the assumption that the present system of Canadian and B C Dictatorships works for everyone except a small group of dissidents, and that if we want to change anything we should behead those who are leading these dictatorships. Not withstanding the anti-terrosist forces designed to protect them against us, this is impracticable. My feeling is that these dictatorships only work for the powerful and rich, not for the ignored, and seemingly despised, people.
Well Mr Hunter, I do not know how old you are but I think probably younger than I, and I am willing to embrace any new idea which will actually give my children, grandchildren and I representation in either level of future governments. I am tired beyond measure of seeing elected members of both houses on the basis not of who they are (Denise Savoie and Corky Evans excluded) but who their leader is, and neither leader can be trusted 1 cm.
The people of BC were charged with the idea of a new voting system and came up with this idea, and you call them tinkers. I actually love tinkering myself, and if something needs to be tinkered with, then tinker away. Maybe instead of deriding it and misrepresenting it to your readers, you could more accurately portrait what could and should really happen - that is real representation by members who could speak freely on behalf of their constituents. If you cannot do that then maybe you could leave it alone, there is already enough bias in The Times Colonist.
No sorry, that's wrong; you have the right and ability to write what you want; unfortunately I do not have the ability to respond in the same fashion.
You referred to a ......."democratic value in a voter's assurance that he or she has a representative in Parliament or legislature who's aware of local issue and pledged to advance them...as far as practical"
Well, Mr Hunter, this might work in a democracy but not in Canada as we are not a democracy by dictionary definition, and the first sign that an elected member in either body is even thinking of opposing his dictator he/she will be thrown away like yesterday's paper. This leads to what you so rightly say about lack of accountablity. Great to be able to change that.
You also mentioned. . . . "That disgraceful coalition proposal in Ottawa, which may not be as dead as some of us believe, shows what can happen when voters choose hung parliaments by not returning majority governments".
It seems to me that a leader brought that on himself by arrogance, deceipt and contempt, and it was a mistimed political coupe that I, for one, wish had succeeded. I have no fear of the BLOQ which I believe is more pro Canada and Canadian People than our current leader.
Have you thought what would really happen if we all voted for our representative instead of a party and therefore the leader of that party? It could appear, not as you would prefer as a majority dictatorship, but as a government of the majority.
What a frightening thought, eh, Mr Hunter?
Regards and thanks for making me respond,
Jeremy Arney
CAP candidate in the 2008 Federal Election - SGI
Victoria BC