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Should Britain reform the existing electoral system for general elections?

Date Submitted: 09/10/2006 01:12:04
Category: / Social Sciences
Length: 4 pages (1087 words)
The debate over electoral reform in Britain has risen up the political agenda in recent years. From 1979 to 1992 the Conservatives won overall majorities in the House of Commons in four consecutive elections without once winning more than 50% of the vote. In 1997 the Labour Party gained total power, even though 11 out of 20 people voted against them. Critics of our current system would therefore argue that the results of Britain's elections currently do not reflect the wishes …
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…of government is an important part of democracy, and coalitions often result in the smaller parties gaining undue influence (a good example is Israel). Also if reform were to take place, the electorate may not understand the new system. The Single Transferable Vote system for example is very complicated, and could result in people not turning out to vote. Therefore I would conclude that Britain should not reform its existing electoral system for general elections.
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