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From: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: A vote for "nobody" this November
Message-ID: <583@erix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Sep-84 13:14:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: erix.583
Posted: Mon Sep 24 13:14:52 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Sep-84 04:37:10 EDT
References: <4297@fortune.UUCP>
Organization: L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Lines: 34

> P.S.    Anyone outside of the USA got any comments on this?
All (Western) European electoral systems that I know anything about seem to 
have this fault, one lands up voting for the the lesser of several evils. One 
thing that I don't understand about the American presidential elections, is why
must the president be elected by all the people in the country? Why couldn't
he (she?) be elected by congress or the senate? In most European countries
the prime minister is simply elected (chosen) by the political parties which
forn the government. This means that the prime minister must have the support
of the government, and conversely will get thrown out if he/she does not
cooperate with the ruling parties. 

The system by which the elections to the "parliament" are done, does have some
effect on the "lesser of several evils" senario. I think that proportional
represenation does help a lot (ie the system ensures that a party which gets
X% of the total vote also gets X% of the total representation in pariament).
This means that the lesser of the evils may not be too bad. Ie a small party
whose views one can accept. However the Big Ones in power don't like small
parties being founded (the small party might become BIG). So they make rules
which stop small small paries from being able to get off the ground. Here in
Sweden, the rule is that if a party gets less than 4% they don't get any 
representation at all! There is an exception that if they get more than 12%
in one district, they will get some reprentation, but that hardly helps.

One thing that can be done is that for issues which become really heated, then
hold a referendum. This is done in several European countries. For example
the last referendum in Sweden was about the future of nuclear power. In 
Wales (from whence I came) they have a referendum every 7 years about if the
pubs are to be open on Sundays!

--Mike Williams (mike@erix.UUCP or ...{philabs,decvax}!mcvax!enea!erix!mike

PS Since the Election of the American President effects us in Europe nearly
as much as it effect you in the USA maybe we should be able to vote too.  :-)
PPS For "Mr/Ms Nobody" of course!