Expelled Exposed!

Keep checking this space for the National Center for Science Education’s official response to the Ben Stein movie Expelled.

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Is first-past-the-post passé?

Written by Ubuntu for this blog on April 6, 2007.

Canada may be soon joining other developed Western democracies by switching to a new electoral system and its not surprising why many Canadians find it so appealing: in countries like Denmark, Sweden, and Belgium mixed member proportion representation (MMP) has led to minority, coalition governments, shared cabinets, more civil public debate, better representation from women (42% in Sweden), and increased voter participation (over 80% in the three nations mentioned).

MMP recognizes a simple fact of elections: often the party in power has more opposition – in terms of votes – than support. Using the new system, voters will now not only select the local candidate they want to support for their riding, but a party on the federal level as well. The number of Conservative MP’s in the House of Commons will be proportional to the population of Conservative party supporters, the number of Liberal MP’s to Liberal party supporters, etc: MP’s will be appointed to compensate for imbalances in the number of voters for a party and the number of ridings won. The Green party’s 650 000 plus supporters will (indirectly) elect 12 MP’s if the new MPP system meets approval and Canadians will be able to support this and other smaller parties without feeling that their votes are going to waste.

So it seems that mixed member proportion representation has a democratic advantage over the current “first-past-the-post” system: there will actually be a number of seats for each party that is proportional to the number of Canadians who want seats for that party. But more important is the ideal that the MPP electoral system can achieve and has achieved in the countries that have adopted it. It doesn’t say much for Canadian politics that it comes as such a shock: government can actually be a peaceful, co-operative effort of people who are concerned less about elections and power and more about making those red and white gears spin. Instead of the gladiatorial match we are all so used to, the absurd struggle towards “elected monarchy,” we can actually use common sense to manage Canada.

Once we remove the same type of pitfalls that created (and still create) societies where power is easiest gained by the sword – and not just on our own land, but internationally – we will have realized a dream many of us have had for a long, long time.