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There are advantages and disadvantages to all systems. In European PR systems where many parties routinely end up in parliament, the real governing is done by
by adrianratnapala 10y ago
There are advantages and disadvantages to all systems.
In European PR systems where many parties routinely end up in parliament, the real governing is done by elites stiching up a deal between themselves and all the proportinal voting just slightly alters the barganing chips brought to the table.
The biggest case of this is Germany, which will be ruled by the grand-coalition for the forseeable future, more or less regardless of what happens at elections.
This has worked OK in countries where people mostly trust their elites. But it is still not particularly democratic.
- Synaesthesia 10y agoTo be honest, it's quite similar in the US too. That's why there isn't much difference between the Obama administration and the previous Bush administration - there was a real continuity in most respects. And even if Trump got elected, not much would change either.
- RandomName2020 10y agoDunno, if "drain the swamp" passes, that'de be a very significant change.
- RandomName2020 10y agoDunno, if "drain the swamp" passes, that'de be a very significant change.
- adrianratnapala 10y agoBut I am talking about a different thing. In any place where the big parties are old and "respectable", there will be a lot of similarities between them. But even if they are identical, they still compete with each other for power. In a PR system, they compete less intensely. Indeed in Germany, with Merkel so firmly on top, the SPD leadership seems to be evolving to maximise its power as #2 rather than trying to win outright.