...What is proportional representation? Proportional representation is whereby the results of the vote are directly proportional to the views of the public, meaning that the results are representative. It is the main principle behind a number of electoral systems and contrasts to the majoritarian principle, which would mean that literally, most votes wins. An example of a PR system is AMS; Additional member system; or STV; Single Transferrable vote. AMS is a hybrid system and only 1/3rd of the seats are elected via PR. This also uses the list system, in which voters choose between parties and not candidates. Highlight 3 arguments against plurality systems One disadvantage of FPTP is that the results produced can be unrepresentative of the public’s opinion. This is because parties can win and lose simultaneously due to having a higher percentage of the vote, but not gaining more or less seats than their nearest competitor. An example of this is during the 1951 elections, where labour had 48.8% of the vote and conservatives had 48%. Even though by percentage labour had one, conservatives gained 321 seats and won the election, whereas labour only got 295 seats. Another disadvantage of plurality systems and FPTP is that it discriminates against small parties. Historically, few small parties have done well under this type of system. In the 2015 general elections, UKIP needed a minimum of 3.8 million votes to gain 1 seat, whereas labour and conservatives both needed between 30,000-40...
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...Kevin Gilbert’s ‘Consultation’, each composer along with their respective text provide such profound perspectives and manufacture their representation of the Australian Aboriginal experience, in particular concepts revolving the hardships experienced by the Australian Indigenous and the necessity for equality and change. The representation manufactured by Keating’s ‘Redfern Park Address’ and Gilbert’s ‘Consultation’ orbits the hardships experienced by the Australian Indigenous population for an extended period of time. Paul Keating’s speech was an extremely iconic event in Australia’s history and was effective to an extent to convey Keating’s main message; to recognise past injustices against the Australian Indigenous population and to promote the necessity to attain equality and justice. In Keating’s ‘Redfern Park Address’, Keating utilises anaphora with the words ‘imagine if’. Keating is inviting his audience and responders to take an emotional journey and to empathise. One of Keating’s main challenges was to create empathy. By utilising anaphora plus the pathos, Keating is inviting his audience to place their feet into the shoes of the Aboriginals and attempt to experience the hardships they had experienced. Moreover, Gilbert’s ‘Consultation’ was a poem driven by a sarcastic and aggressive tone. Gilbert’s poem constructs a representation that expresses the ill treatment and lack of significance experienced by the Aboriginals. ‘Blacks gamblin’, Playin’ pups” “Life aint too...
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...TO WHICH EXTENT DOES PARTY-LIST PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION PROVIDE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF MINORITIES IN BENIN, GUINEA-BISSAU AND NAMIBIA? Pavel Pylypcuk, Alexandra Sidorova Aalborg University 2014 Table of contents 1. Introduction 3 I. PART 5 2. Electoral system 5 2.1. Types of electoral system 6 2.2. Proportional representation 6 2.3. Party-list proportional representation 7 II. PART 8 3. Structure of case studies 8 4. Benin 9 4.1. Historical introduction and the electoral system 9 4.2. Elections to National Assembly in years 1991-2007 10 4.3. Political parties in Benin: profile, electorate and interactions 11 4.4. Conclusion 12 5. Guinea-Bissau 13 5.1. Historical introduction and the electoral system 13 5.2. Elections to National People's Assembly in years 1994-2008 14 5.3. Political parties in Guinea-Bissau: profile, electorate and interactions 15 5.4. The electoral process in Guinea-Bissau 16 5.5. Conclusion 17 6. Namibia 18 6.1. Historical introduction and the electoral system 18 6.2. Elections to National Assembly in years 1989-2009 19 6.3. Political parties in Namibia: profile, electorate and interactions 20 6.4. The electoral process in Namibia 21 6.5. Conclusion 23 7. Final conclusion 24 8. Bibliography 26 1. Introduction Electoral systems are considered as an instrument, which can relatively quickly and effectively...
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...historical cost to fair value | |accounting has created numerous debates surrounding the trade-offs of the concepts of relevance and | |reliability. This article contributes to the debate by critically reviewing the current developments of | |these trade-offs to determine whether current financial reporting guidelines are appropriate to deal with | |the difficulties and uncertainties of financial reporting. The article found that the proposals of the joint| |framework discussion paper goes a long way in resolving the issues around the trade-offs of relevance and | |reliability. Changing the concept of reliability to faithful representation will not negatively impact on | |resolving the issues. Some recommendations are made to enhance the trade-off concepts. | Keywords: Faithful representation Financial reporting Framework Discussion Paper Qualitative characteristics Relevance Reliability 1. Introduction The current international move from historical cost to fair value accounting has...
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...LGBTQ+ Representation in the Media The media has become a protuberant fraction of our society today, as we rely on it for coverage on the presidential election, the weather, the traffic, and using it to form our opinions on subjects we would not know much about without it, but how does the media affect the way the LGBTQ+ community is seen and treated? From Russia to America, LGBTQ+ laws are viewed worlds apart, with Russia concocting anti-gay laws, while America sustains marriage-equality, however, did the media have an impact on this? Does absence of representation in this medium account for the misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of LGBTQ+ people? These are the inquiries I would enjoy to discus as I think it is a tremendously important...
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...Should the Electoral system used in general elections in the UK be reformed? The election system that we currently have in the UK is a lot like marmite, you either love it or you hate it… There are many different arguments for and against this system, however people forget that within getting rid of the First Past the Post system, you will then need to then replace it. This then poses the vital question of which is the best fitting system and should we really change tradition? First past the post is a simple plurality system which requires the plurality of votes to win: that is one more vote than the second candidate. There is no requirement to obtain the votes cast. In contests involving three or more candidates, the winner may fall well short of an overall majority. MPs are elected in a single member constituencies. Each of the 650 constituencies in the UK elects one representative to the House of Commons. There has been a long running debate on this issue, as there are other electoral systems being currently used I the UK for other things for example the Supplementary vote used the elections of the London Mayer. People argue that one of the other electoral systems could replace the First past the Post, in May 2011 a referendum was held asking the public if they would want to change to the system to AV. This was a resounding ‘no’, which makes the question of a possible reform purely hypothetical at this moment in time. Was this because people do in fact like the FPTP system...
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...constituency a candidate has to gain a minimum of a one vote advantage over the nearest rival. This system is not proportional which means that for every constituency there is only one MP representing them in Parliament. Even though the FPTP system has come under criticism, it remains as the electoral system used for Westminster and local government elections, and its advantages are the following. The FPTP system is very simple and easy to understand. The voters only have to write an “X” to indicate their choice. There is no need to rank candidates or to make more than one preference, in contrast to other more complicated systems where confusion arises. For example, there are a huge number of spoilt papers under various types of Proportional Representation as a result of voter confusion. In Scotland when STV was used there were thousands of spoilt ballot papers. However it could be argued that the advantage of ease is overrated as the electorate could be prepared enough to cope with another system as they do in other countries such as Germany or Switzerland. Speed is another lauded attribute of FPTP. We can get the results in constituencies just hours after the polls close and a verdict on who will secure the ability to govern alone before the next dawn breaks. By contrast other electoral systems can take days to calculate as votes are redistributed. In the Republic of Ireland it can take many days to discover who has the ability to form a government as recounts and redistributions...
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...Altruism is the will and intention to help another without regard for oneself. The will or instinct to help others is a driving force for altruistic behavior. Animals can engage in altruistic behavior; however they do not realize that they are being altruistic, therefore the behavior that is exhibited is not altruistic. For a behavior to be altruistic one needs to understand that they are benefiting others at their expense. Humans possess the will necessary to perform altruistic deeds, and can put it to great use. Humans are still animals, and may perform altruistic behaviors without realizing it. Altruism in politics is rare, but it is necessary to prevent social groups from being outcast. A proportional representation system will allow for altruism by helping minorities be represented at all times, while not requiring the current majority to relieve their representative power. Frans deWaal shows that alrutism is actually more natural than it seems, despite the apparent inconsistencies they present. Altruism is a choice to help others over one’s self. Only humans can be truly altruistic, as humans have the potential to make choices and realize their consequences almost completely, however seemingly altruistic events due occur naturally in the animal kingdom. “Taking on the midwife role another female spent no less than two and a half hours assisting the in experienced mother”(deWaal 688). The helper bat did know actually know and think about its actions and consequences. The...
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...Table of Contents Motivation 1 Introduction 2 Definitions and Explanations 3 Merits and Demerits of the Plurality and PR systems 4 Analysis 5 Conclusion Motivation The motivation behind selecting the assignment topic is that elections and the understanding of the electoral systems seem to be at the center of understanding Political Governance 1 Introduction In discussing the assignment question the paper will endeavor to first provide definitions and explanations for the terms; democracy, representative democracy, electoral systems, plurality system and proportional representation. The presentation will proceed to identify and analyze the merits and demerits of the plurality and proportional representation electoral systems with reference to the practice in South Africa and Zambia. However, the analysis on the merits and demerits of the two electoral systems will be preceded with a discussion on the relevance of elections in a democracy. In conclusion, the presentation will strive to augment the viewpoint(s) developed from the analysis and offer an opinion as to whether it would be beneficial for South Africa to adopt the plurality electoral system. 2 Definitions and Explanation The word democracy is one that has a variety of versions in practice and theory, however, according to Johari (2013, p. 491) almost all governments proclaim to be democratic.1 Hague and Harrop (2010, p.84) write that the core principle of...
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...“democratic” electoral system… Firstly, the main issue within the first past the post system is the democratic persona it creates; due to the fact that only the votes of the successful party are counted and the remaining votes (no matter how close) are discounted therefore making it based on a “winner takes all” system and in effect, undermining the remaining candidates as well as electorates whose votes are discounted. This can be seen evidently in the 2010 general elections as although labour had won 258 seats, conservatives had won 307 seats therefore stating conservatives had received more votes than all other parties and so their votes are the only one that count whilst all other votes are redundant. Systems involving proportional representation, such as the Additional Member System (AMS) are more democratic as electorates receive two votes so they have an impact to the results as both votes are counted. However, this is not all entirely true as in a first past the post system; parties still have to reach a certain number of seats in order to earn a majority and thus avoid a coalition. On the other hand, not all is negative for the system; FPTP is considered to be a simple and publicly accepted. This is a positive outlook on the...
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...elected. The Senate and House of Representatives both make laws, but the Senate, under the Constitution, has certain granted powers that the House of Representatives do not have. The House of Representatives serves for two terms and the Senate serves six-year terms (Larson, 2015). The Senate is composed of 100 members and each state has two Senators. Only 20 percent of Senators are females per the 113th Congress (2015). The mark-up of the congress does not reflect the demographic of the United States. By the Senate being 80 percent male, this is an over representation of the 49.2 percent males in the United States (Male, 2014). Another example of over representation, the House of Representatives has 82.2 percent of males. As the bible states, “For I know...
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...political climates, and they gained different levels of influence within government as a result. The emergence of the German Greens in the twentieth century coincided with the rise of new social movement protests during the 1960s 1970s. This movement brought about a heightened awareness of social and environmental problems among new-left student populations, as well as citizen action groups, that helped set the stage for a “Green challenge within the electoral process” (Burchell, 2002, p. 53). The German Greens achieved their first electoral breakthrough at the federal level in October 1983, with 5.6 percent of the vote and the election of 27 Green deputies (Burchell, 2002, p. 53). In the Germans’ case, the structure of proportional representation served as a...
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...for. First Past the Post (FPTP) The British electoral system is based on the FPTP system. This system is very clear-cut and definitive, the candidate with the highest number of votes in a constituency wins. In order to vote in a FPTP system you simply mark a cross (X) next to the name of the candidate you are choosing. Alternative Vote (AV) Voters must rank the candidates on the ballot paper in order of preference. If a candidate receives 50 per cent or more of first preferences then they are elected. If not, then the candidate with the lowest number of first choices is eliminated and their second choices are redistributed to the other candidates. This process continues until one candidate has an absolute majority. Proportional Representation Publicity and Electioneering Activities It is important that a candidate becomes well known in the area they are hoping to represent and to this end they will often...
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...Assignment Two The news media only provides us with representations of reality. These representations are constructed by media conglomerates to manipulate our views on society; politics, international relations and current affairs. While the media is meant to be an objective source of information, it is important to remember that this information is filtered, watered down and often manipulated before reaching its audiences. After all, “one apprehends reality only through representations of reality... there is no such thing as unmediated access...” (Dyer 1993, p. 3, as cited byO'Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2005, p. p.77) This is done by ruling classes of society in order to ingrain dominant ideologies into cultural knowledge and thus maintain their governing status- the process of “hegemony”. The media both mirrors and shapes society- it is a “mechanism of mass control” (Flounders et al., 2000, p.89). The news, as an integral part of the media, does the same. Therefore it is important for us to remember that the image of our world shown by the media is only a portrayal, and not always objective or truthful. “The media define for the majority of the population what significant events are taking place, but, also, they offer powerful interpretations of how to understand these events.” (Stuart Hall, 1978, p. 426) In this quote, Hall states that media broadcasters, although providing important (newsworthy), accurate and up-to-date information to the public, are nevertheless...
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...“democratic” electoral system… Firstly, the main issue within the first past the post system is the democratic persona it creates; due to the fact that only the votes of the successful party are counted and the remaining votes (no matter how close) are discounted therefore making it based on a “winner takes all” system and in effect, undermining the remaining candidates as well as electorates whose votes are discounted. This can be seen evidently in the 2010 general elections as although labour had won 258 seats, conservatives had won 307 seats therefore stating conservatives had received more votes than all other parties and so their votes are the only one that count whilst all other votes are redundant. Systems involving proportional representation, such as the Additional Member System (AMS) are more democratic as electorates receive two votes so they have an impact to the results as both votes are counted. However, this is not all entirely true as in a first past the post system; parties still have to reach a certain number of seats in order to earn a majority and thus avoid a coalition. On the other hand, not all is negative for the system;...
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