John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN SOUTH FRONT
“BRAND TRUDEAU WINS A SECOND TERM”
Trudeau’s party actually ended up receiving significantly fewer votes (33.1 % of total) than the opposition Conservatives under Andrew Scheer (34.4 %).
It's an unhappy, anti-democratic outcome of the voting system used for Parliament.
Just as is the fact that a government can rule with an unshakable “majority” of seats in Parliament with the kind of the numbers Trudeau attracted in 2015 (39.5% of total popular vote).
Similar results prevail for Britain’s parliament. A “majority” government there typically represents well under 40% of the total votes cast.
And, of course, in the United States, with its antiquated Electoral College system on top of still other important issues, minority presidents are not an unusual election outcome. Trump is one of them (46.1% of votes cast versus 48.2% for Hillary Clinton).
Such are the glorious results of “Western democracy” so often glibly praised by press and politicians.
The irony is Trudeau had campaigned strongly four years ago in support of election reform, of getting rid of our "first past the post" vote counting and using instead something yielding proportionate representation.
But, as in so many things, Trudeau completely failed to make good on his promise. It was a serious disappointment, but for this 2019 election his failure kept him in power.
Trudeau has failed in a number of extremely important national matters, and he is, additionally, someone known for a number of embarrassing personal follies and scandals.
It genuinely is disheartening to see him back on the job.
Lack of significant voter choice in candidates is the immediate explanation for the election result, something which is sadly all too common in our "Western democracies."
The other parties - especially the ones with some chance of gaining power, the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party - simply did not offer candidates strong and appealing enough to vote Trudeau out under the existing voting system.
Lack of attractive alternatives can reflect, as I think is the case here, poorly functioning political party organizations. But, in some “Western democracies,” as in the United States, it represents a mechanism by the official parties (only two of them and each equally dominated by establishment interests) to limit voter choice by design.
Good God, look at the two candidates America offered its voters in 2016. Frightening, each of them in his or her own way. Simply an unbelievable choice offered.
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/john-chuckman-comment-how-american-politics-really-work-why-there-are-terrible-candidates-and-constant-wars-and-peoples-problems-are-ignored-why-heroes-like-julian-assange-are-persecuted-and-r/
