A Dire Need for Political Reform

Doctor Vernon also touched on the idea of a clean sweep, suggesting that other systems could be introduced as part of a broader political reform strategy. These changes would help ensure that a ruling party doesn’t go unopposed in parliament.

 

Dr. Dylan Vernon, Political Scientist

“So, my proposal and there are many others who, or some others who propose it, Dr. Harold Young, for example, that would change the first-past-the-post system to either one that is fully proportional or a mixed system that is some past-the-post and some proportional, so that there is always an opposition.  I think the last time the opposition got about forty percent or forty-plus percent of the popular vote but no seats in the house.  If there was some other electoral system that has a proportional aspect to it, the opposition would get some seats if the system was so designed.  And so there is no opportunity or chance for a clean sweep and it better represents the people’s interests and votes than a first-past-the-post system that we have.  So, if anything out of this clean sweep discussion is let’s not make it happen at all by reforming the electoral system as part of a wider political reform and to make it impossible.”