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[Sheb]

Population percentage voting is much nicer, even though it sometimes results in rather weird situations. Especially in Belgium, where each party has a French duplicate.

You mean each party got a Flemish duplicate.

More seriously, it does mean a ridiculous number of parties get into Parliament.

[10ebbor10]

We've got a system that could just as easily and effectively support a hundred different parties with no problems.

Not really. The system inherently ensures that a 2 party system is the only, stable situation. Whenever you get more, you're actually benefitting the most different of the parties. (the others battle over the same votes, and hence loose). This is further ensured by the fact that parties need a certain amount of votes before they get funding. The US system is practically build to ensure the status quo, and make sure everything stays as it was.

Edit: Besides, the amount of parties in the Belgian parliament is limited. You need a certain percentage of votes before you get a seat.

[GlyphGryph]

I'm talking about the institutional infrastructure, not the electoral system. I thought I made that clear. The problems with the US electoral systems are many, but irrelevant to the issue of how well the legislative infrastructure can handle multiple parties.

The US government infrastructure handles it well - our electoral system renders that meaningless. Meanwhile, many parliamentary systems have electoral rules that make multiple parties possible, but institutional structures that render them mostly irrelevant.

It's why independents in the US Congress are incredibly rare, but when they occur they tend to do quite well for themselves.

[Scoops Novel]

So we dont purely get bogged down by that particular derail, I'd appreciate it if at least part of your answer addresses why exactly Australia remains in a "shit or a turd" election cycle.

[Scoops Novel]

So we dont purely get bogged down by that particular derail, I'd appreciate it if at least part of your answer addresses why exactly Australia remains in a "shit or a turd" election cycle.

Most of the world is like this, isn't it?

Yes, but it does sound like you have more nominal options then usual. I'm wondering why they don't work, outside of representative parties being undermined in the usual ways. I suppose I'm also curious as to what kind of debacle we'd end up with in Britain if we enrolled a similar electoral system.

[Max White]

So we dont purely get bogged down by that particular derail, I'd appreciate it if at least part of your answer addresses why exactly Australia remains in a "shit or a turd" election cycle.

Preferential voting gives you more parties, but it doesn't make voters any more intelligent. The informed will have the option to cast their votes strategically knowing that the major parties look at the first round results very carefully to figure out what issues are important to people. The less than informed masses, however, will still just vote for who ever promises lower taxes and more benefits. As such, while we have a lot of parties out there, some of them pretty good (Looking at you Sex Party! *Wink*) you can still expect who ever panders to the lowest common denominator to get larger. Even the Greens have their shitty policy that exists only for uninformed hippies who would ban oxygen dihydrate.

[kingfisher1112]

Besides, all you eastern staters should be voting Katter's Comedy Relief Party.

[Osmosis Jones]

Just enrolled as a postal voter today... no way am I potentially helping Abbot get into government just because I'm overseas.

[Scoops Novel]

So we dont purely get bogged down by that particular derail, I'd appreciate it if at least part of your answer addresses why exactly Australia remains in a "shit or a turd" election cycle.

Preferential voting gives you more parties, but it doesn't make voters any more intelligent. The informed will have the option to cast their votes strategically knowing that the major parties look at the first round results very carefully to figure out what issues are important to people. The less than informed masses, however, will still just vote for who ever promises lower taxes and more benefits. As such, while we have a lot of parties out there, some of them pretty good (Looking at you Sex Party! *Wink*) you can still expect who ever panders to the lowest common denominator to get larger. Even the Greens have their shitty policy that exists only for uninformed hippies who would ban oxygen dihydrate.

Voter stupidity might be a component, but i doubt it's the driving force. You'll need to give me more then that.

[Askot Bokbondeler]

ptw

[Max White]

Voter stupidity might be a component, but i doubt it's the driving force. You'll need to give me more then that.

Either you have a lot of unfounded faith in the human race, or we are both in the dark as to why things turned out this way.


Anyway, campaign warfare on the streets, with pamphlets and balloons the primary weapons. At this rate it is only a matter of time before the entire town is so sick of this shit that we all refuse to vote. Wheres your swing now?!?!?!?

[kingfisher1112]

My god, the greens marches in my city are insane. Absolutely Grade-A insane. They were comparing the facilities for asylum seekers to Nazi concentration camps. It's hilariously disheartening.

[Reudh]

My god, the greens marches in my city are insane. Absolutely Grade-A insane. They were comparing the facilities for asylum seekers to Nazi concentration camps. It's hilariously disheartening.

Yeah. I'll say this, while I'm a fairly left wing person, the Greens are pretty crazy at times.

[MonkeyHead]

This seems like the correct thread for this story - my already low opinion of large sectors of humanity sinks further.

[kingfisher1112]

This seems like the correct thread for this story - my already low opinion of large sectors of humanity sinks further.

Welp, there goes anti-immigration policy.