The British Third World Ballot

This May 7th Telegraph article details the shortcomings of the current and aparently archaic ballot in the U.K. The day after the election fiasco that took place in the midst of an important election numerous media sources from the BBC to MSNBC have been criticizing Jenny Watson, the Chairman of the Election Commission. These attacks stem from numerous claims that election comission has become complacent with their outdated system at the polls. Reports that strict timing requirements were ignored and that many of the polling stations had run out of paper before the official closing of the polls at 10 p.m. All of these mistakes led to the misrepresentation of several districts and the loss of thousands of votes. Many British citizens were angered at this chaos because of the close race for the most seats in parliament.

This event calls into question the legitimacy of the U.K. government becasue with the race being so close they couldn't afford to mess up the voting and now the citizens have a reason to question the outcome. This also brings up holes in their transparency because the governtment has denied a recount even with the uproar in the public.

Cameron makes offer to Liberal Democrats

According to the BBC News article, "Election: Cameron makes offer to Lib Dems on government" Cameron has given a vague and open offer to the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government. In the last election, the conservatives gained a significant number of seats in parliament, but not enough for a majority. The result is a hung parliament that will rest on coalition government. Unwritten rules in the constitution let the sitting Prime Minister make the first attempt to form a coalition government. Mr. Cameron however is arguing that Gordon Brown has "lost his mandate to rule," and believes he should get the first attempt. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has made statements supporting Cameron's claim. Meanwhile, Mr. Brown is making assertions about his "constitutional duty" as prime minister to try to "resolve the situation."

In speeches, Cameron referred to the Labour party as "outgoing," and cites his desire to fix Britains most "urgent problems - the debt crisis, our deep social problems and our broken political system," he said. He has made several comments about reaching out to multiple parties.

There are some large differences in Liberal Democratic and Conservative ideology, especially in regards to defense and the European Union. Cameron, however, cites "many areas of common ground." The two parties agree on reducing carbon emmissions, tax reform, and they both oppose to the Labour party's "ID card scheme."

Other political analysts doubt the possibility of a coalition government. There is another possibility, however--the liberal democrats could allow Cameron to govern by refraining from voting down the budget and the queens speech. This would prevent them from being associated with decisions they do not agree with, while still giving them some power in the new government.

This article relates to the concept of change in government. The British electoral system is unusual in that it can result in a "hung parliament" and no chief executive. This article discusses possible results from this hung parliament.

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Cameron Claims He Can "Turn Britain Around"

In the BBC article David Cameron Tells Tories He Can Turn Britain Around, Cameron claims the the UK is a "complete and utter mess". The conservatives have outlined six key themes for the upcoming election campaign: dealing with the deficit; boosting enterprise; shoring up families; backing the NHS; raising standards in schools; and cleaning up politics. Cameron promises there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel of the UK's problems. Many of the opposition parties claim that Cameron's optimistic speech was sparked by the fall in poll ratings to just two points ahead of Labour. A recent poll suggest that at the moment, the population would currently vote 37% Torie, 35% Labour, and 17% Liberal Democrat.

In relation to the themes of sovereignty, authority, and liberal democracies, the United Kingdom is an exemplary example of each theme. The country has always been known for its fair elections, and the outcome of the elections will determine whether the Labour party will continue to hold the power of the government or if once again the Conservatives will regain authority.

Grade this post. Picture credits to flickr.

2/28/2010

British Premier Struggles to Repaint Blotched Image

In a recent New York Times article Prime Minister Gordon Browns image was discussed, and his need and failure to create a more positive image of himself. Despite Mr. Browns immediate popularity after becoming Prime Minister his public image has lead to harsh accusations and his falling behind in the polls by his main rival and leader of the Conservatives, David Cameron. The Labour Party is attempting to revamp his image making him seem like a more down to earth "regular guy" attempting to juxtapose the Conservatives. This shows the differences of class in Great Briton, its largest social Cleavage. Recently The Observer portrayed Brown as "paranoid, bullying...chaotic" this shows the deep divide of the Newspapers and the people they pander to, that is the papers in Great Briton identify with a party openly. This article goes as far to say something about popularity of Gordon is based on his charisma. Interesting how public opinion has shifted from experience to wanting the young new leader, Cameron.

Electoral Reform in the UK

According to Bagehot's editorial "1997 Revisited" published February 4th in the Economist, PM Gordon Brown is suprising the UK by beginning a push for electoral reform. Britain has, for a very long time, operated under the same electoral system as the US. "First-Past-the-Post" gives the win to whichever MP gets the most votes, and doesn't require a majority. The new voting system Brown is supporting (Alternative Voting, or AV) is the system used in Australia. In this method, people rank candidates rather than choosing one to vote for. This system ensures that the winning politician has more than 50% of the total vote.

One of the major features of AV, according to Bagehot, is that it ends up electing inoffensive candidates. Anyone who is too partisan or too controversial has virtually no chance of winning. There are a number of theories as to why Brown is supporting electoral reform right now. The most obvious is that he fears he will lose the upcoming election, and hopes a change in the rules of the game might help him. Brown might also be trying to woo the Liberals, with whom he might hope to form a coalition following the next election. The Liberal Democrats have wanted electoral reform for years. This is not the kind of system that will particularly benefit, them, however. A final, far more simple explanation is that Brown wants an AV electoral system because the conservatives don't want it. As the article states, "Sometimes the line matters more than the position it divides," and Brown is introducing this not as a debate over AV vs. FPTP but as "reform vs. the status quo."

It is the author's opinion that, regardless of why Brown wants reform, it will probably never happen. Even if a bill is pushed through the House of Commons, there is a good chance the House of Lords will delay it past the election, which Brown is slated to lose.

This article demonstrates the concept of political institutions. Changing from a FPTP system to an AV system would fundamentally change the way politicians are elected in the UK. It is also an interesting example of the UK's gradualism, and ability to reform its own institutions.

Illustration by Steve o'Brien, courtesy of the Economist

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