B.A.Ware

Does anyone know what UKIPs official position on which voting system it supports i.e first past the post or Proportional Representation.

I am asking because i have had an inquiry at my branch and i cant seem to pinpoint an answer.

harryaldridge

For the House of Commons UKIP supports a mixture of FPTP and PR. IIRC UKIP propose 80%-ish of the seats should be FPTP to retain the link between constituency and MP, but the other 20%-ish should be topped up proportionally.

I guess the detail will come out in the policy review which is in progress.

Niall Warry

This is exactly the sort of issue that we spend far too much time on and in the end produces the square root of zero.

For example who cares that the LibDims want PR :?:

For UKIP to waste time working out a policy postion on this issue simple means we are spending less time on developing tactics to assist the UK leaving the EU.

rjt

Something no party can do unless elected to governement or in a strong position in the HOC to infleuenbce govermenet and for that you need a full program for governement not just keep banging on about one issue, you just seem a bit shrill if you do that.

Britannist

As I've pointed out before - the europhile political establishment in this country are not going to allow any voting system to be brought in which gives UKIP seats in the Commons (nor an elected Lords if there ever is one).

Since UKIP won big in the last EU Election - held under proportional representation (PR) - those great fans of PR voting, the fanatically pro-EU Liberal Dims have gone very quiet about their favourite subject and only real policy (apart from subservience to the EU) - "electoral reform".

Not suprisingly really - for they know they were pushed into fourth place by UKIP at the last EU Election (in votes received) and fear a similar humiliation at a General Election if a proper PR voting system were used in one :twisted: .

In other words - having seen PR voting in action in a national election across the UK (the last EU Election) the Liberal Dims have everything to fear :twisted: . More so, in fact than any other political party presently with seats in the Commons.

tito

Nigel Farage said on TV once "We need to see some element of PR".

Britannist

The only element of PR (proportional voting) they will allow is a system in which it is difficult for UKIP to win under.

The particular type of PR voting used at the last EU Election is almost ideal for a party with its vote spread out across the country like UKIP to benefit from.

The europhile political 'elite' in this country will do what they can to stop such a voting system being used at a General Election.

The thought of an anti-EU party winning lots of seats in the Commons is just too much for most of the political establishment to bear.

Incidentally, the last time proportional voting was debated at an annual conference of UKIP (a couple of years ago I think it was) - the proposal to support PR was defeated convincingly.

UKIPs aim should be to win under the current General Election voting system. For one thing is certain - if we used PR voting now for General Elections and UKIP was starting to make big gains, the very first thing the europhile political establishment would do is change it all straight back to first-past-the-post-voting (the system we use now at General Elections).

Which is exactly what Mitterand (former President of France) did. He brought in PR for national elections - but changed it back to a voting system similar to ours when he got worried at how well small parties were doing in elections held under PR.

prober

I think Batten is pro PR. How will UKIP win a seat under the 1st past the post system ? There is a cross political PR lobby. UKIP should join it in lobbying for PR ( or at least STV) based on voters right to choose order of party candidates not the party.

Britannist

STV is a dreadful voting system.

As for the question (from Prober, above) "how will UKIP win a seat under first-past-the-post" (FPTP). The answer is - in exactly the same way as the following small parties who once had no seats won representation in the Commons: DUP, UUP, Plaid Cymru, Respect, SNP and the SDLP.

As I wrote in this thread a few minutes ago - if UKIP started winning seats in the Commons under proportional voting, the europhile political establishment would quickly legislate to change the voting system back to FPTP.

UKIP must try to win under FPTP - just as all the other parties I have mentioned have managed to do.

rjt

It is not impossible for UKIP to win under FPP as you know I was against the type of targeting of seats you adovocate but have changed my mind having witnesed recent independant victorys and that of the Respect Party who UKIP outpolled handsomley in 2005 and yet they won a seat.

One of the main problems UKIP, the ED etc face is that they will have the full force of the media telling people they are a wasted vote.

The Greens came second in a Brighton seat in 2005 and this month doubled there council representation there, they have a good strong base from which to break through at the next GE, I think buliding up a local base seems to be important for samll partys as well.