Part of the Politics series |
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Prior to the 2010 Dutch general election, contesting parties put forward party lists.
YouTube Encyclopedic
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1/5Views:6 334 5357666 1942 5592 931
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Why the UK Election Results are the Worst in History.
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Gender and Ethnicity in Parliamentary Representation
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Inequality and Women in Politics
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GV311 (2014/15) Week 20: General Elections in Britain
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David Brady: A Look at the 2016 Elections
Transcription
Hello Internet The UK had an election we need to talk about because after the debates finished, the people voted and the ballots tallied the results were this: But parliament ended up looking like this: Which isn't, exactly, representative. And by not exactly, I mean at all. Red earned 30% of the vote and 36% of the seats, which is sort of close, but the rest is madness: Orange earned 8% of the vote but got one eighth of that while Yellow's 5% just about doubled, and purple earned 13% and got squat. Meanwhile blue's 37% of the people booted to 51% of the seats in parliament. The blue boost is even bigger when you consider that 51% of the seats gives basically 100% the control. How'd this happen? In the UK -- national elections aren't really national, they're a bunch of local elections. The UK is divided into constituencies, each of which elects one member of parliament (M.P.) to represent them. This local / national divide is where the trouble begins. Imagine a parliament with just three constituencies, and it's easy to see how it wouldn't always align with citizens. Some people think this sort of result is fine -- “it's all *about* winning local elections,” they’ll say. “Each M.P. represents their constituency.” And while the imbalance in this example is dumb, but it's the same problem in the real election and this same argument is given, but there are two more problems with it in reality land. 1) Few citizens have any idea who their MP is, they just know what party they voted for -- what party they want to represent their views on the national level. And pretending like it's a local election is a bit disingenuous. -- in practice it's an election for now the nation will run -- not really for who is going to represent a tiny part of it. and even if it were 2) The individual constituencies are worse at representing their citizens than parliament. Indulge this spreadsheet-loving nerd for a moment, will you? The difference between what a party earned at the polls and what they got in parliament is the amount of misrepresentation error. If we calculate all the errors for all the parties and add them up we can say the Parliament as a whole has 47% percentage points of misrepresentation error. That sounds bad looks like a utopian rainbow of diversity compared to any local election because the local elections have *one* winner. Out of the 650 constituencies 647 have a higher representation error than parliament. These are the only three that don't and they're really unusual for having so many of a single kind of voter in one place. Most places look the The Wrekin which is dead in the middle a mere one-hundred and one points off. Note that the winning candidate didn't reach a majority here. Which means more than half of constituencies elected their MP with a minority of voters. The worst is Belfast South at the bottom of the list. Hilariously unrepresentative. Less than a quarter of the voters get to speak for the entire place in parliament. This is the the lowest percentage an M.P. has ever been elected by. So when people argue that the UK election is a bunch of local elections 1) people don't act like it, and 2) It's even more of an argument that the elections are broken because they're worse on this level. These local elections are unrepresentative because of the terrible 'First Past the Post' voting system -- which I have complained mightily about and won't repeat everything here -- go watch the video -- but TL;DR it only 'works' when citizens are limited to two choices. Voting for any party except the biggest makes it more likely the biggest will win by a minority -- which is exactly what happened. That citizens keep voting for smaller parties despite knowing the result is against their strategic interests demonstrates the citizenry wants diverse representation -- but that successes is the very thing that's made this the most unrepresentative parliament in the history of the UK. People happy with the results argue the system is working fine -- of course they do. Their team won. Government isn't a sport where a singular 'winner' must be determined. It's a system to make rules that everyone follows and so, we need a system where everyone can agree the process is fair even if the results don't go in their favor. If you support a system that disenfranchises people you don't like and turbo-franchises people you do -- then it doesn't look like you sport representative democracy, it looks like you support a kind of dictatorship light. Where a small group of people (including you) makes the rules for everyone. But as it is now, on election day the more people express what they want the worse the system looks which makes them disengaged at best or angry at worst and GEE I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY. This is fixable, there are many, many better ways the UK could vote -- here are two that even keep local representatives. And fixing voting really matters, because this is a kind of government illegitimacy score -- and it's been going up and may continue to do so unless this fundamentally broken voting system is changed.
Christian Democratic Appeal
- Jan Peter Balkenende
- Ank Bijleveld-Schouten
- Maxime Verhagen
- Marja van Bijsterveldt
- Ab Klink
- Jan Kees de Jager
- Joop Atsma
- Elly Blanksma-van den Heuvel
- Gerda Verburg
- Sybrand van Haersma Buma
- Mirjam Sterk
- Ger Koopmans
- Henk Jan Ormel
- Jack de Vries
- Eddy van Hijum
- Margreeth Smilde
- Madeleine van Toorenburg
- Coşkun Çörüz
- Kathleen Ferrier
- Hanke Bruins Slot
- Ad Koppejan
- Raymond Knops
- Sander de Rouwe
- Bas Jan van Bochove
- Rikus Jager
- Jan Schinkelshoek
- Jan Jacob van Dijk
- Maarten Haverkamp
- Pieter Omtzigt
- Jack Biskop
- Michiel Holtackers
- Sabine Uitslag
- Marieke van der Werf
- Joost Verheijen
- Cisca Joldersma
- Martijn van Helvert
- Hein Pieper
- Jan Mastwijk
- Jaco Geurts
- Mustafa Amhaouch
- Arnoud Strijbis
- Alwin de Jong
- Anke van Extel-van Katwijk
- Harry van der Molen
- Anne-Marie Vreman
- Dinand Ekkel
- Marga Vermue-Vermue
- Arinda Callewaert-de Groot
- Olger van Dijk
- Marijn Noordam
- Frank van Kuppeveld
- Monique Smidt-Beudeker
- Gerben Karssenberg
- Patricia Assmann
- Daniëlle van Lith-Woestenberg
- Jobke Vonk-Vedder
- Jan Folkert Deinum
- Marja Kwast
- Jan Kramer
- David Moolenburgh
- Maarten Offinga
- Elsa Rijssenbeek-van Pijkeren
- Guus Mulders
- Martijn de Haas
- Mona Keijzer
- Erik van den Oord
- Brigit Homan
- Erna van de Ven
- Clazinus Netjes
- Sjoerd Meulensteen
- Willem Ketelaars
- Marij Cox Sevenich
- Peter Ruys
- Rex Arendsen
- Yang Soo Kloosterhof
GroenLinks
- Femke Halsema – 577,126
- Jolande Sap – 8,451
- Tofik Dibi – 6,089
- Mariko Peters – 3,988
- Ineke van Gent – 7,215
- Liesbeth van Tongeren – 2,637
- Jesse Klaver – 2,466
- Bruno Braakhuis – 879
- Arjan El Fassed – 1,262
- Linda Voortman – 1,664
- Rik Grashoff – 990
- Niels van den Berge – 596
- Natasja van den Berg – 858
- Bert van Boggelen – 514
- Carla van Os – 643
- Hann van Schendel – 502
- Arno Uijlenhoet – 289
- Ruard Ganzevoort – 869
- Nadya van Putten – 1,729
- Ahmed Harika – 1,343
- Hayat Barrahmun – 1,606
- Paul Smeulders – 345
- Gon Mevis – 527
- René Kerkwijk – 377
- Isabelle Diks – 771
- Leen Harpe – 275
- Irona Groeneveld – 615
- Jan Wijnia – 708
- Tof Thissen – 874
- Kathalijne Buitenweg – 1,888
Labour Party
- Job Cohen
- Nebahat Albayrak
- Ronald Plasterk
- Mariëtte Hamer
- Jeroen Dijsselbloem
- Jetta Klijnsma
- Diederik Samsom
- Gerdi Verbeet
- Frans Timmermans
- Sharon Dijksma
- Hans Spekman
- Angelien Eijsink
- Martijn van Dam
- Attje Kuiken
- Ahmed Marcouch
- Roos Vermeij
- Ed Groot
- Sjoera Dikkers
- Pierre Heijnen
- Lea Bouwmeester
- Jeroen Recourt
- Agnes Wolbert
- Eelke van der Veen
- Pauline Smeets
- Metin Çelik
- Lutz Jacobi
- Tjeerd van Dekken
- Tanja Jadnanansing
- Jacques Monasch
- Khadija Arib
- Jeroen de Lange
- Myrthe Hilkens
- John Leerdam
- Margot Kraneveldt
- Mohammed Mohandis
- Lia Roefs
- Jan Boelhouwer
- Mei Li Vos
- Henk Nijboer
- Anja Timmer
- Paul Kalma
- Brigitte Troost
- Jan Vos
- Marianne Besselink
- Wouter Neerings
- Keklik Yücel
- Serv Wiemers
- Saskia Laper-ter Stege
- Hans Spigt
- Marije van den Berg
- Thijs Reuten
- Ria Oonk
- Sander Terphuis
- Chantal Gill'ard
- Hans Adriani
- Loes Ypma
- Ard van der Tuuk
- Patricia Linhard
- Meint Helder
- Grace Tanamal
- Inge Polstra
- Gülhan Akdemir
- Joyce Vermue
- Karin Hazewinkel
- Martientje Kuitenbrouwer
- Maarten Divendal
- Marijke Drees
- Jan Hamming
- Hedy d'Ancona
- Lodewijk de Waal
Party for Freedom
- Geert Wilders
- Fleur Agema
- Lilian Helder
- Raymond de Roon
- Martin Bosma
- Sietse Fritsma
- Teun van Dijck
- Louis Bontes
- Dion Graus
- Richard de Mos
- Hero Brinkman
- Eric Lucassen
- Roland van Vliet
- Johan Driessen
- Karen Gerbrands
- Joram van Klaveren
- Marcial Hernandez
- Willie Dille
- Léon de Jong
- Harm Beertema
- James Sharpe
- Wim Kortenoeven
- Jhim van Bemmel
- André Elissen
- Ino van den Besselaar
- Auke Zijlstra
- Alexander Kops
- Jasper van Koppen
- Olav Spierings
- Edgar Mulder
- Vicky Maeijer
- Marjolein Faber
- Marissa Visser
- Marc van den Berg
- Monica Nunes
- Vincent van Haaren
- Pascal Romeijn
- Marjolein van de Waal
- René Eekhuis
- Ron Dubbelman
- Toon van Dijk
- Machiel de Graaf
- Arnoud van Doorn
- Laurens van Delft
- Menno Ludriks
- Chris van der Helm
- Barry Madlener
- Gom van Strien
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
- Mark Rutte
- Edith Schippers
- Fred Teeven
- Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
- Stef Blok
- Paul de Krom
- Frans Weekers
- Atzo Nicolaï
- Charlie Aptroot
- Betty de Boer
- Halbe Zijlstra
- Anouchka van Miltenburg
- Han ten Broeke
- Ineke Dezentjé Hamming-Bluemink
- Willibrord van Beek
- Cora van Nieuwenhuizen
- Janneke Snijder-Hazelhoff
- Malik Azmani
- Helma Neppérus
- Ton Elias
- Mark Harbers
- Brigitte van der Burg
- Tamara Venrooy-Van Ark
- Anne Mulder
- Erik Ziengs
- Ard van der Steur
- Klaas Dijkhoff
- Helma Lodders
- Anne-Wil Lucas-Smeerdijk
- André Bosman
- Afke Schaart
- René Leegte
- Karin Straus
- Joost Taverne
- Johan Houwers
- Bart de Liefde
- Matthijs Huizing
- Ingrid de Caluwé
- Ybeltje Berckmoes-Duindam
- Bart Keuper
- Alexander Dalenoort
- Aukje de Vries
- Jeroen van Wijngaarden
- Pieter van Woensel
- Ronald Vuijk
- Monique Belinfante-van Gelder
- Onno Aerden
- Jeroen Diepemaat
- Paul Laudy
- Jeltje Hoekstra-Sikkema
- Jakob Bartelds
- Roald van der Linde
- Tanja Haseloop-Amsing
- Henk de Vlaming
- Christhophe van der Maat
- Daan de Neef
- Johan-Pieter Verwey
- Bernd Roks
- Kamran Ullah
- Tatjana Sormaz
- Petra Borst
- Eric van den Dungen
- Frits Paymans
- Jan Willem Pieters
- Alex van Pelt
- Laura Werger
- Erwin Hoogland
- Hans Aeijelts Averink
- Frank Verveld
- Erik Koppe
- Jan Verhoeven
- Kees Gillis
- Herman van Santen
Socialist Party
- Emile Roemer
- Harry van Bommel
- Jan de Wit
- Renske Leijten
- Ronald van Raak
- Ewout Irrgang
- Sadet Karabulut
- Paul Ulenbelt
- Jasper van Dijk
- Sharon Gesthuizen
- Henk van Gerven
- Manja Smits
- Paulus Jansen
- Farshad Bashir
- Nine Kooiman
- Rik Janssen
- Nico Heijmans
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Arnout Hoekstra
- Jessica van Ruitenberg
- Krista van Velzen
- Ron Meyer
- Maarten Hijink
- Nicole van Gemert
- Michiel van Nispen
- Fons Luijben
- Gerrie Elfrink
- Jos van der Horst
- Hennie Hemmes
- Hilde van der Molen
- Mariska ten Heuw
- Marianne Langkamp
- Jules Iding
- Remine Alberts-Oosterbaan
- Theo Coşkun
- Tonnie Wouters
- Riet de Wit-Romans
- Bernard Gerard
- Jan Broekema
- Frans Mulckhuijse
- Saïd Afalah
- Jeroen Brouwer
- Willy Lourenssen
- Willem Bouman
- Ingrid Gyömörei-Agelink
- Wim van Gammeren
- Jannie Visscher
- Sibel Özoğul-Özen
- Bart Vermeulen
- Lies van Aelst