Posts by George Darroch
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I've also got some bones to pick with the idea of a 'wasted' vote
Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C... I could list every election before 1996. 25% of voters had no representation whatsoever, 80% had no say, and 10% had more influence over the election than the rest of us combined.
Under FPP, every vote that is not in a marginal seat that year is a wasted vote. There is no other way to describe it.
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Probably my favourite conspiracy website is Cryptogon. It's a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
It represents what is a fairly common opinion, although one that is significantly underrepresented in American politics.
The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.
Source: Change We Can Believe In: Obama Honors George H.W. Bush for Public Service
And among this population is where, I think, people like Glen Beck get their traction. Although his audience and that of Cryptogon are mostly different, they both represent the extreme disconnect many feel for Washington politics. When people get marginalised, they revolt, or they retreat to their opiates - religions, conspiracies, and other outlets that allow them to rationalise a world that otherwise would not make sense.
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Sure. But the referendum can't do that. It'd be baby, bathwater, etc. That was the point of the question above.
I should note that I'm very strongly in favour of retaining MMP.
Indeed. I know you are playing devils advocate. But I'm angry that we're even being asked the question.
The point of this referendum is not: how do we make Parliament more democratic. That would be a very good question to ask.
It is: do you like that people you do not like are elected to Parliament, and should we change things to ensure they cannot, and your guys are more likely to be elected?
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Given people (apparently) can’t understand MMP, how are they expected to get STV?
They won't.
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Well -- like Winston Peters or loathe him -- some people would say that NZ First getting twice as many votes as Act but no seats was unfair.
So change that.
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If we must dump MMP, then STV is the best of a bad lot.
We fought for this democracy. We're not going to just hand it back to them. I'm not, anyway.
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What is broken?
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Bart, I like your thoughts. I really would like for us to try and do things more creatively and beautifully.
I'm also never sure why roads and bridges now cost so many billions. They didn't in my parents day (they must be making the pilings out of gold...).
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Just what is the believable statistic on sexual abuse? In the past few days I have heard one in four women, then one in three. To me, innocently asking, these seem extremely high ratios not to mention significantly different.
The one in three in a lifetime figure wouldn't surprise me. Most people will never talk about their experiences with anyone but those they are extremely close to, and even then they often don't.
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But I like the dick. :)
Good when they have 'em, not when they're being them.
I have to say, and this is one of my language crusades, what is with English considering a person who is a "dick" a "cock" or a "cunt" to be someone objectionable. I tend to like dicks, cocks, and cunts.