New Politics Network - Canada's experience suggests problems with UK electoral system

Monday, 23, Jan 2006 12:00

As Canadians go to the polls, the leading think tank on democratic engagement has claimed their experience over the last 18 months suggests that the UK could be looking forward to similar political instability unless major reforms are introduced.

Like the UK, Canada uses the first-past-the-post electoral system to decide who sits in its Parliament. No single party formed a majority in Canada's parliament in 2004, leading to 18 months of instability. The New Politics Network has warned that there is evidence that the same may happen in the UK after the next general election.

Commenting, Director of the Network Peter Facey said,

"Canada's woes in 2004-2006 mirrors the experience in the UK in the 20s and 30s when an election lead to a hung Parliament. In each case the result has been feeble government and a new election within two years. It looks likely that the UK will go through the same experience after the next general election; Labour has a majority of just 64, yet the inbuilt systematic bias against the Conservatives and the emergence of the Liberal Democrats as a significant third force make it unlikely that any single party will be able to form a majority in 2008/9.

"A hung parliament under first-past-the-post does nobody any favours. Unlike proportional systems where parties are forced to work together in the interests of the country, first-past-the-post makes co-operation almost impossible as relatively small swings can guarantee huge majorities next time around. Meanwhile, the public become more alienated as the quality of political discourse degrades.

"We need a system that recognises the fact that multi-party politics is now established in Britain. Otherwise we have nothing to look forward to but years of instability."

Director Peter Facey will be available for comment after the results are known on Tuesday.