What have been the effects of the use of proportional electoral systems in the UK?

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What have been the effects of the use of proportional electoral systems in the UK?

Currently, the only pure forms of proportional representation used in the UK are the closed party list system, used to elect M.E.Ps, and the single transferable vote technique used in general elections in Northern Ireland. However, the additional member system, which combines elements of the first past the post and the closed party list systems is implemented in the Welsh and Scottish regional assemblies.

The single transferable vote system is appropriate for use in Northern Ireland, where difficult cultural differences often cause community divides. Constituents order the candidates in preference, and the results of the election decide the politicians who will represent each multi-member constituency. In constituencies with both catholic and protestant regions, it is almost certain that both a catholic and protestant MP will be elected. This is a major advantage, as constituents in Northern Ireland often feel more comfortable discussing their concerns with an MP of the same religion and thus the single transferable vote system has had a positive effect on MP community links in Northern Ireland. If a majoritarian or first past the post system was implemented in Northern Ireland, this would result in only a catholic or protestant MP being elected per constituency, which would cause obvious community ruptures. This would also influence the party selected to run the country. For example, it was calculated that if the first past the post system was implemented in Northern Ireland the protestant associated Unionist party would gain a majority and thus form government. Also, the system is more proportional than the first past the post system since all votes are largely of equal value. Furthermore, only a party, or coalition of parties that wins more than 50% of the public vote can form a government, and thus it is representative of the majority of the populations preferences. This is relevant to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 which stipulates that a coalition must be formed and has to include at least one party with a catholic association and one party with a protestant association. Again, the STV system is much more likely to produce a coalition than the FPTP system.

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However, the negative effects of the system include the inconsistencies in translating votes into seats; list systems or certain version of AMS are much more accurate at doing so. Moreover, it can produce coalition governments, which do not have the public’s mandate; no one voted and thus approved the coalition’s manifesto. Often disproportional power is given to minor parties that “hold the balance of power”. They can do so by threatening to join the opposition party and thus “overthrow” the current major party in the coalition. Since candidates must order the candidates in order of preference, it could be ...

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The candidate writes well, communicating their ideas clearly and backing them up with well-reasoned arguments. They generally structure the argument well, but the lack of a strong conclusion means the end of the essay is a little disappointing. As with many other essays I've seen, grammatical and subject-specific accuracy is sometimes a stumbling block for candidates, and they must proofread their essays. Even though examiners will mostly overlook small mistakes, if they are made often enough then it may affect the candidate's performance. Some examples of these minor mistakes include the candidate referring to the Additional Member System as being used in the "Welsh and Scottish regional assemblies", however Scotland's devolved body has always been a Parliament; and failing to capitalise the names of political parties.

The analysis in this candidate's essay is of a very high standard. Their discussion of the religious issues surrounding the single transferable vote in Northern Ireland is particularly strong; s/he explains the consequences of a proportional system in a fractured community very well. The candidate contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of the electoral systems well, and includes both of the purely proportional systems in use, and also the hybrid AMS, showing that they understand all of the different systems used in the UK. However, there is little analysis on the effects of proportional systems, as previously mentioned.

The response to the question is good - his/her ideas are set out clearly and explained in detail. The candidate's response generally focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of differing electoral systems and not their effect, and s/he may be penalised for not fully addressing the question, and to ensure that others don't do this, I recommend highlighting or underlining key words in the question, and re-reading it at the start of each paragraph of the essay to make sure that you're staying on topic.