The Jenkins Report Commission
The Jenkins Report Commission
On 29th October 1998 the 'Report of the Independent Commission on the Voting System' chaired by Lord Jenkins of Hillhead was published. The Report recommends the introduction of the Alternative Vote Top-up, commonly known as AV+. This report seeks to explain how the system will work and to look at how the system matches the four criteria concerning the electoral system for Great Britain, laid down by the Government.
The four criteria were:
? Stable Government
? Extension of Voter Choice
? Maintenance of Constituency Link
? Broad Proportionality
The commission's main recommendation is that the best alternative to the 'first past the post' system is a two-vote mixed system such as AMS [additional member system] or AV (alternative vote). Around 80 to 85% of MPs would continue to be elected on an individual constituency basis, but with the remainder elected on a 'top-up' basis which would reduce the disproportionality present in FPTP.
On its own AV would be unacceptable because of the danger that it might increase disproportionality and might do this in a way which would be unfair to the Conservatives.
The commission recommends that the second vote determining the allocation of 'top-up' members should allow the voter the choice of either a vote for a party or for an individual candidate from the lists put forward by parties. They should therefore be what are commonly called open rather than closed lists.
The commission also recommends that the geographical areas that will have the second vote should be selected carefully and fairly under a set of rules. Bias should be reduced by the use of a single electoral quota for the UK and the Boundary Commission should be given a statutory power to take account of population movement and this will help to keep the result of their work more up to date
Basically the new system will include:
? The use of 'preference voting' in electing constituency MPs: as voters can rank candidates in order of preference, ...
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The commission also recommends that the geographical areas that will have the second vote should be selected carefully and fairly under a set of rules. Bias should be reduced by the use of a single electoral quota for the UK and the Boundary Commission should be given a statutory power to take account of population movement and this will help to keep the result of their work more up to date
Basically the new system will include:
? The use of 'preference voting' in electing constituency MPs: as voters can rank candidates in order of preference, tactical voting in the constituencies will no longer be necessary and more votes will contribute to the result.
? The use of 'open lists' to elect MPs at county level: electors can choose between candidates on a party's list, rather than the choice being made for them by party committees
? Having 'top-up' lists for counties and cities, rather than for wider areas, ensures that MPs elected from lists will have more of a constituency link than might otherwise have been the case and partly meets the concern that the system creates two types of MP.
? The Society also welcomes the proposal that the voting system be evaluated after 10 years.
The advantages and disadvantages of this new proposal:
One issue which will be raised under this new proposal, is the existence of coalition governments. This is because parties will be able to win the Commons majorities with less than 50% of the vote, coalitions will be much less likely than under a fully proportional system. The Jenkins recommendations would have given single-party governments (but with reduced majorities) in 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1997, but in both 1974 elections and the 1992 election parties would have needed to form coalitions, or at least come to other forms of agreement, with other parties. (Some attack coalitions as being a weak form of government. However, it should be noted that many other European countries, including Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, have been using proportional systems for many years and, in terms of their political stability and economic success, have performed at least as well as Britain.)
This new system, will be in good in that it increases voters choice, for example In the constituency section, voters will be able to vote for the candidate who they believe is the best for the job without fear of wasting their vote. It will no longer be possible for political parties to use the line "They can't win here. If you vote for them, you will let X win". Also on the top-up lists, voters will be able to choose which candidate should represent the party of their choice. Given the size of the lists (they will be very small with no more than 3 names) parties will be able to adopt very similar selection procedures for the constituency seats and the top-up lists. Because top-up MPs are going to represent counties (or similar sized areas), it will be possible to make the County MPs accountable to their local parties in a similar way to the way MPs are accountable at present. The new system will still allow single party government where that is in tune with the mood of the country, but it will also encourage parties to work together. Parties will be able to tell their supporters to cast their second preferences for party X. Voters will be able to use their second preferences to indicate with which other party they wish their party to go into coalition.
The increase in proportionality will also be an advantage, e.g. in the 1997 General Election Result: The Labour Party won 43.3% of the vote and 63.4% of the seats. The Conservative Party won 30.7% of the vote and 25% of the seats. The Liberal Democrats won 16.8% of the vote and 7% of the seats. This hardly seems fair, but the new system will make it so the seats and votes will be slightly more proportionate.
This system may also affect the Turnout in a positive way, in 1997 the General Election saw turnout fall to 71.5% - its lowest level since 1935. Moreover, turnout was lower in so-called safe seats than in marginal seats where voters knew their vote would count. For example, in Wales the lowest turnout was in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, which also had the largest majority. This compares to the highest turnout in Wales, in the hotly contested three way marginal of Brecon and Radnorshire. With AV it makes peoples votes count and none are wasted, therefore will encourage people to vote who previously didn't because they felt they didn't really have a say in the end result.
However one disadvantage is that this system creates two types of MP, one with a constituency role and duties and one without such a base, this creates rivalry within the party and therefore there is a higher risk of internal disunity. Constituencies will be slightly larger than at present and this isn't exactly a good thing for the boundary commission as they have to do extra work to re-draw the maps. Also those who are under-represented or are in minorities, i.e. women, Asians, etc. may not necessarily be any more represented under the new system, than under the old one.
Nicola Barclay Mr. Maloney
Government and Politics The Jenkins Report
Nicola Barclay Mr. Maloney
Government and Politics The Jenkins Report
Nicola Barclay Mr. Maloney
Government and Politics The Jenkins Report
