Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony Butcher
Imagine for a moment you are Gordon Brown. Looking at the local election results, he can see that he would potentially lose the Labour majority in the Commons in the next general election. If things actually look like they might get worse, then he could well think about introducing a form of PR to reduce the number of Tory seats and give a combined Labour/Lib Dem pact big enough to form a government.
Plus, it was in the 1997 Labour manifesto, so presumably someone must have wanted it, and it clearly wasn't Blair.
If Gordon wants to leave a legacy, then bringing in PR would do it.
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Be wary the theory that PR would mean a perpetual Tory minority against a constant Liberal Democrat-Labour governing coalition - politics has a way of proving doubters wrong!
The mixed use of PR in London has seen a Tory Mayor and a Conservative dominated Assemby. Whilst Lib/Lab coalitions would spring up (as they have) in Scotland, Wales etc (traditionally left-leaning areas, sceptial of the Tory party and with their own dominant national parties) England would be far different.
A UK Parliament, that is effectively dominated in numbers by English seats, could possibly see massive Tory returns (even more so if an English Parliament emerged) - I'm quite sure that the Conservative Party could govern as a majority in any system.