Writers supporting the proportional-representation system point to examples where they say PR has worked well “for years.” Those views tend to be narrow and short-sighted, failing to take in the overall picture.
A popular example — Germany — is currently showing a troubling shift to the extreme right; parties that display disturbing nationalistic tendencies are also on the rise in France, Israel and Italy. Meanwhile, the “successes” pro-PR authors point to are over a relatively short six decades, yet evidence of the ability of radical parties holding extreme views to affect the outcome of elections and influence centrist governments is becoming more plain yearly. (One could even make a case the B.C. Green Party is indeed one of those parties, as it has an influence on our government far beyond its standing with the electorate.)
The same cannot be said of our 150-year-old system, where so-called “fringe” parties are just that.
We don’t need a new system; we need better, engaged, risk-taking politicians, willing to risk their futures by not playing it safe and bowing to every whim of their hidden elite and actually listen to voters. That will result in a more engaged electorate, the best chance for real change.
K.M. Frye
Central Saanich
