For the record, I have never been caught speeding.

Due to the system, a party that gets say 18% of all votes throughout the country may end up with getting no seat at all because it doesn't get the majority in any region, due to being spread. So a party that actually a rather big part of the country wants to be represented of does not get into parliamemt.
Same for US, but even worse...how can a country run by two larties for two hundred years possibly be democratic? It can't, the system leads to corruption and does not allow new parties.

We don't vote for a party. We vote for an MP to represent us in Parliament. The right to be able to choose the person who will fight on your behalf is far more important to me than having a proportional spread of people who claim a particular allegiance.

Well but just as you, most candidates are in a party.

Why does that matter?

Nice one Jamie - you're in Scotland aren't you?

@Octavious - yeah I kinda don't see the point in telling people all the bad stuff we're going to do BEFORE an election - I suggested that we say we have 'no plans' to increase fuel duty, ban cars, make commuters walk for 50 miles a day etc and then do it anyway after we storm to power. I was out voted and told to eff-off back to the Tory party.

@JeffKuta - If I had more time I'd explain how nom-de-plumes work, but just back from leafleting and need a good soak.

It is undemocratic for reasons pointed out.

Being in a party gives you many advantages over candidates who aren't, the major ones being the financial help and the existing infrastructure of trained and experienced teams to help in the voting campaign.
That is also no big problem, but the overall system simply does not allow minor parties to get accurate representation.

@ Maniac

I clearly misunderstood. I was under the impression the Green Party considered those policies part of their "good stuff".

@ God

Being outside of a party gives you many advantages over candidates who are in them. I would say the system is quite good for independent candidates. Smaller parties tend to struggle compared to larger parties, but that is not always the case. Indeed, in the case of the BNP this can be a positive thing. On balance I am convinced that the benefits I've talked about earlier strongly outweigh the drawbacks.

Octavious, I'd like to mention that the (IMO, completely ridiculous) first-past-the-post system greatly advantages parties with a more regional base, such as the SNP, Plaid Cymru or Sinn Fein. Also, too lazy to figure out on my own. How many independent MP's are there? I can see that a very popular local figure could do it, but how often do they? I like parts of the British system, because there are obvious advantages to having local candidates, but I feel the disadvantages inherent to first-past-the-post outweigh them. Perhaps a hybrid system would work best? AFAICT, that's what they have in France, dunno how it works out for them.

Maniac, congratulations, and best of luck. The Greens are my favorite British party. Also, please do the whole Mrs Windsor thing. Someone said she should be called Mrs Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, but that seemed excessive, since people are allowed to change their names.

A few Green Party policies for your enjoyment:

AR410 The Green Party will support a progressive transition from diets dominated by meat and other animal products to healthier diets based on plant foods, through the use of research, education and economic measures.

AR415 The Green Party would ban all experimentation and research which harms animals

PD513 The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a military-oriented body, which imposes conflict cessation rather than encouraging peace building. As such, it is not a sustainable mechanism for maintaining peace in the world. We would take the UK out of NATO unilaterally. We would also end the so-called "special relationship" between the UK and the US

PD302 On inspection, there is little or no threat of direct invasion of the UK by any nation. Commitment to a large standing army, a navy of large warships around our coastline, squadrons of fighter planes and a cripplingly expensive missile defence system is therefore unnecessary

@ Maniac - I was born in Scotland but I'm in the North East of England these days.

@ Octavious - What is wrong with encouraging people to reduce the amount of meat in their diets? The commercial production of meat, especially beef, is causing serious environmental impacts.

NY203 In the long term, the Green Party wishes to see the concept of legal nationality abolished. In the short term, while other countries use it, this is not possible.

NY300 We will work to create a world of global inter-responsibility in which the concept of a 'British national' is irrelevant and outdated

Yeah, only the second and third one of those are stupid. The fourth, I see no reason for the UK to have more than treaty obligation armies.

@ NY203 and NY300 are both very sensible policies. Jingoistic patriotism and closed borders are concepts which ought to wither away in a modern, civilised world. We're all humans.

@ Jamie

I am not saying all these policies are fundamentally wrong. But they are policies that make it impossible for me to vote for them. The government encouragement of vegetarianism to me is a large annoyance. The banning of all forms of animal based research I find very short-sighted, anti-science, and frustrating. The last four policies I find to be utterly insane.

I am fully aware that other people will like the policies. What annoys me somewhat is the number of people who have no idea what the Green Party actually is.

I wouldn't mind encouraging healthy diets by research and education. But I don't like the "economic" side of that clause.

@ Octavious: "What annoys me somewhat is the number of people who have no idea what the Green Party actually is."

You think most people don't realise the Green Party is in favour of reduced defence spending?

You think most people don't realise the Green Party wants to promote more sustainable agriculture?

Aren't those pretty obvious green policies?

@ KingCyrus

Their plan is essentially to ban factory farming (both home grown and imports) that will make meat unaffordable for most people. I have no problem in the Green Party campaigning to raise awareness of animal welfare and encouraging people to adopt certain habits. This, however, is well out of order.

And yes, of course you won't be voting green - you've got your privilege to defend ;-)

@ Jamie

People know they are anti-nuclear weapons. I don't think they are aware of quite how drastically the Greens want to dismantle the military. I don't think they are aware of the plans to leave NATO, or the long term aim to abolish the concept of the British National, no. Do you?

If not, I am happy for people to be made aware of those policies - they're all good policies which I endorse.

Yes, I thought you might. You are impressively consistent in that regard :)

Oh, moving away from the Green Party a sec. I was having a chat with a Labour Councillor friend of mine regarding possible election outcomes. Say the results come in with the Tories in front but with no workable coalition on offer and no desire to form a highly unstable minority government. Is it possible for the second place party to form a minority government if they can't form a coalition either?

That was excellent, Paul

"I have zero chance of winning and being put in charge of anything."

And you say you play Diplomacy... :)

@ Octavious: Do you mean, is it *legally* possible? Or do you mean, would it be workable?

I think it is the former, but not the latter.

You (and others) may find this guidance note from University College London of interest:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/research-archive/FAQs

It was prepared for the 2010 election, but the information is still valid.

@octavious - by convention the incumbent party has first crack at forming a government in the event of a hung parliament. If they can't (or don't want to) the next largest party is given the opportunity. If they feel they can get a Queen's speech through then, they become the government.