General election results 2015

[Flosshilde]

Unless I've misunderstood I was thinking what flossie was saying about some members to the Scottish parliament having being elected on a FPTP system and the rest on PR so that the former could retain that aspect of local representation that means the voter votes for his or her MP rather than for a government, and the latter shares out the national vote more fairly and proportionately.
...
the problem would then consist in how to determine which member - the one elected on FPTP or the one by PR - would be chosen to undertake which role.

That's right - it's a mix of FPTP & PR, but there's no problem - people go to both & don't see any difference as far as representation goes, because there isn't.

[Serial_Apologist]

No problem - they both do.

I can see that would lead to squabbles. "Look, she came to me first so she's my client". "No, she's mine!"

[MrGongGong]

We have PR for the Euro-elections. The constituencies may be very big, but they also have several MEPs. You can select the one you think most diligent in dealing with constituents' Euro-concerns. My MEP ws extremely diligent when I emailed him about forum members' concerns about the effect Euro legislation would have on lead organ pipes …

This is all very laudable (and I remember the folks at Harrison & Harrison breathing a sigh of relief!)
But I don't think MP's do in the main represent the people from their constituencies
They might lobby on behalf of them from time to time BUT what's the use of that when the next minute they vote for a war in Iraq? (for example)

[ahinton]

Recalling the brief appearance of the Literal Democrat candidate, and similar cases, anyone want to launch the United Kingdom Interdependence Party?

Well, I wouldn't for one, because if Scotland did indeed ultimately vote for "independence" and Wales followed suit after - and inspired by - its success and did the same (unlikely as this would seem in the present climate), there'd surely be stuff all interdependence - let alone "independence" - left, wouldn't there?

No, better to relaunch the current party of government as the ConservaTory party (triple glazed, of course), its closest contender in terms of both votes and seats the Laborious Party, UKIP as the Anti-EU Membership Party, the LibDems as the Orange Disorder Party, Plaid Cymru as Dai-ed Dumbly, the Greens as the Green & Black Organic Party and SNP as - well, the SNP, I suppose...

[ahinton]

But I don't think MP's do in the main represent the people from their constituencies

I don't know about "in the main", but mine certainly does - and he's not only a Conservative but has found time to be the author of the books The Big Society, Compassionate Conservatism and a study of Edmund Burke.

[Richard Barrett]

Compassionate Conservatism

To be found on the shelf next to Porcine Aerodynamics.

[MrGongGong]

To be found on the shelf next to Porcine Aerodynamics.

Part 2?

[ahinton]

To be found on the shelf next to Porcine Aerodynamics.

Amusing in ways that only you could be, undoubtedly (and much appreciated at least for that, believe me!) but, for the record, it doesn't happen to sit on any of my bookshelves (which are not, incidentally, located in Hampstead Garden Suburb, for the record) next to that volume whose authorship has yet to be declared; perhaps I should Google it and order a copy. Incidentally, to which volume might you assume his study of Burke to be found in direct proximity? And have you read either?

[ahinton]

Part 2?

There's actually two of them? Do they compare the aviatory powers of the Saddleback with those of the Middle White, by chance? And might one expect them to be placed on a bookshelf between a volume by Oscar Wilde and another by David Boore?

[french frank]

But I don't think MP's do in the main represent the people from their constituencies
They might lobby on behalf of them from time to time BUT what's the use of that when the next minute they vote for a war in Iraq? (for example)

If you interpret 'representing them' over such a wide area of policy, legislation and general decision-making, how could anyone 'represent' all the members of a constituency, considering they don't want the same things?

MPs are useful to constituents on an individual basis. I know someone who worked in a local council education division, and she said when they got a letter from an MP they were statutorily bound to treat the matter as a priority. That didn't mean 'doing as they were told': it meant looking into the matter at once and giving the MP an answer.

[Sir Velo]

To be found on the shelf next to Porcine Aerodynamics.

You've given yourself away Richard - you do read ahinton's posts!

[ahinton]

You've given yourself away Richard - you do read ahinton's posts!

But has he ever actually stated otherwise?

That's nothing, though; he's even listened to one of David Matthews' symphonies and not responded negatively to suggestions that he might consider listening to some others...

[MrGongGong]

If you interpret 'representing them' over such a wide area of policy, legislation and general decision-making, how could anyone 'represent' all the members of a constituency, considering they don't want the same things?

MPs are useful to constituents on an individual basis. I know someone who worked in a local council education division, and she said when they got a letter from an MP they were statutorily bound to treat the matter as a priority. That didn't mean 'doing as they were told': it meant looking into the matter at once and giving the MP an answer.

Indeed they are most useful sometimes
My argument would be that having this role is often in conflict with party 'loyalty'

My MP is never going to support the campaign to keep our allotment site open because his primary interests are to his party and mates who run the building firms who want to build houses on them.
"Compassionate Conservatism" in action?

(he also wants to sell off part of a popular local common and so on)

We could (for example, and there are many ways to do these things) have a better system of local advocates.

[ahinton]

"Compassionate Conservatism" in action?

In writing it, the author of the book of that title is no more in denial of the obvious fact that there's another sort than is David Matthews of musics of the past six decades that are quite unlike his own; if he had been so, the very point of writing that book might well have been lost before its first chapter had been penned.

[french frank]

That's right - it's a mix of FPTP & PR, but there's no problem - people go to both & don't see any difference as far as representation goes, because there isn't.

Understood, thank you. Did you all vote for that particular system in a referendum?