[lbo-talk] UK election exit polls (whatever happened to the Liberal Democrats)

[James Heartfield]

Mike writes: 'Is it true that if the proportional representation system, which the Lib Dems were running on, became electoral law, the Conservatives could never hope to gain government again, except through coalition?'

Well, that's one way of looking at it.

Another would be that under proportional representation you would have a lot more of the kind of back-room deals that you see going on right now, with voters' choice coming a poor second to the spin-doctors' skullduggery. A

nd is it true that you get no right wing government under PR? That's not what the Italian example would suggest.