[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [ProgSoc] Have you registered to vote yet?



In my twisted logic it is sometimes better to vote for the worst of a
bad bunch. More specifically, vote for the incumbent repeatedly, which
will (hopefully) force the (primary) opposition to eventually change
to a more real alternative. Either this, or they (the opposition) will
become indistinguishable from the incumbent (then they could merge or
form a coalition). In this case, the smaller party/ies will
(hopefully, eventually) build up a large enough vote share to form a
real opposition.

It certainly would seem strange to see the Labor and Liberal parties
merge/form a coalition, but it really doesn't seem too far away.
I've often thought that having similar parties might actually be a very 
good thing in (or, a good sign of) a stable democracy. Kind of like the 
way when you've got one of those jelly-bean-in-a-jar or 
the-price-is-right guessing competitions and the best strategy is to 
pick a number exactly one more or one less than the other person (as 
much as it may irritate them).
If things are working properly, then compromise/steady-state should be 
almost fully resolved before you get to vote - when things are stable, 
voting is then there to apply the pressure on parties to reach that 
compromise/steady-state.
Anyway, I'm not a political scientist by any means... so please point 
out the errors in my logic!
-Ben


-
You are subscribed to the progsoc mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a
message containing "unsubscribe" to progsoc-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
If you are having trouble, ask owner-progsoc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for help.