How does Proportional Representation work?

[venator]

If the Lib Dems get AV, the next referendum will be for PR, which is what they've been campaigning after for years.

So, under PR, do you get a candidate to vote for, or is it just a party, and the MPs allocated by the parties?

If say, UKIP get 10% of the national vote, but no majority in any constituency, how does it work?

Sorry if this is confusing, but I'm confused...

[New Judge]

There are many variants of PR and an explanation of them all is not possible here. The simplest is a straightforward “party proportional” system where each party is allocated seats in Parliament in direct proportion to the votes they receive in the General Election. So, in your example, if UKIP get 10% of the votes they get 10% of the seats (65 under the present arrangements). Voters do not vote for individuals but for a party and the party chooses who takes up their allocation of seats.

[mike11111]

Which would mean perpetual minority/coalition government with deals thrashed out in smoke-filled rooms (perhaps not now!) as the last party to achieve 50% of the national vote was Labour in 1950.

[sandyRoe]

Here's some info on how it works in NI
http://www.eoni.org.u...oting-system-faqs.htm

[Dodger666]

So NI uses the AV system then.

In which case if part of the UK already uses AV, what's the problem for the rest of us?

[scotman]

Scotland uses a mixed system with constituency MPs elected through the present system and an additional set of list MPs selected on a proportional basis. Seems to have worked quite well so far.

[MarkRae]

PR and AV are *TOTALLY* different!

The problem for the rest of us is that AV is total garbage.

[Old_Geezer]

Independents aside, yes you are obliged to vote for a party who will then decide who will nominally represent you, except they don't of course because they weren't voted for so have no accountability to the constituents. The party has the control and the puppet given the job as member of parliament will do as they are told. It is effectively an anti democracy manoeuvre.

[woofgang]

Can I ask "who says" there will be another referendum regarding PR?

[scotman]

Old Geezer

How is that different from the way MPs behave at the moment?

[Old_Geezer]

It is different because today you vote for an individual to represent you and who therefore are theoretically accountable to those voters. If the elected fail to vote according to their constituents wishes, but toe the party line instead, then they have failed in their elected role. Parties only presently exist from the tradition of having them, the power they wield, and many folks preference to not examine the worthiness of the candidate but vote on their general political standing, 'left', 'right', or 'don't know'. This makes for difficulty getting rid of them as hopefully we must eventually do.. But with AV the parties are effectively 'cemented' into the process, since voters then vote for a party not an individual; making the removal of these undemocratic institutions even more difficult than before, hamstringing future revolutionary/evolutionary change to a better system.