As with all other current methods used or proposed as a way of choosing our political representatives, the proposals regarding the Alternative Vote (AV) system seem to miss an important point; that in most constituencies there is a larger number of those eligible to vote who choose not to do so, than those who vote for the most popular candidate.
Put simply, more people do not want to be represented by the winning candidate than do.
If democracy means anything, it means the will of the majority.
May I propose a more rigorously democratic system which responds to the will of the majority?
The True Democratic Result system.
==========================================
TDR. True Democratic Result.
As simple as ABC.
Where the number of those eligible to vote (TEV) exceeds the number
voting for the most popular candidate (VMP), then there will be no overall winner (NOW).
Algebraically expressed: If TEV > VMP = NOW.
The result reflects the majority preference (MP).
The majority would rather NOT be represented than would prefer the most popular candidate.
The advantages of this would include:
1. Encouragement to participate.
2. Reduction, depending on impact, of number of MPs.
3. Financial savings as a consequence of 2. above.
- (A rough estimate of these savings would be a minimum of £350,000 per constituency).
4. Greater identification of candidates with constituency needs rather than Party.
5. If applied to local elections, the savings, based on current voting statistics, would be considerably greater, relatively speaking.
6. The result reflects the wishes of the majority.
7. No-hope candidates would be discouraged from standing.
--------------------------------------------------------
The disadvantages would be:
1. Uncertain career prospects for career politicians.
================================================
Thus TDR would truly represent the preference of the majority.
====================================
Comments welcomed.
Monday, 31 January 2011
Uncle Roy's Guidelines - 1. Taxation
I detect a worrying tendency amongst my suspected left-leaning friends to undermine the attempts of the coalition to deal with the debt-ridden catastrophe in which we find ourselves.
I hope the briefing note below may go some way to rectify.
===========================
Scenario: Ten men go out for a daily drink and the bill for all ten
comes to £100...
---------------------------------------------------------
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go
something like this...
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay £1, sixth = £3, seventh = £7. eighth = £12, ninth = £18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay £59.
So, that's what they decided to do..
--------------------------------------------------------------
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement.
One day, the bar owner said,"Since you are all such good customers,
I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by £20".
Drinks for the ten men would now cost just £80.
------------------------------------------------------------------
It was suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's
bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of
the tax system they had been using, and they proceeded to work out the
amounts each should now pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving).
The sixth £2 instead of £3 (33% saving).
The seventh £5 instead of £7 (28% saving).
The eighth £9 instead of £12 (25% saving).
The ninth £14 instead of £18 (22% saving).
The tenth £49 instead of £59 (16% saving).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free.
But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.
As it always does, that corrosive reptile 'envy' began to destabilise the friendships.
"I only got a pound out of the £20 saving," declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got £10!"
"Yes, that's right," exclaimed the fifth, "I only saved a pound too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!"
"That's true!" shouted the seventh. "Why should he get £10 back, when
I got only £2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison, "we didn't get
anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!"
The nine men beat the tenth man up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the
bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that, Guardian readers, union administrators, public sector
parasites and other 'victims and martyrs' is how our tax system works.
The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most
benefit from a tax reduction.
Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not
show up any more.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is
somewhat friendlier.
===============================================
I hope the briefing note below may go some way to rectify.
===========================
Scenario: Ten men go out for a daily drink and the bill for all ten
comes to £100...
---------------------------------------------------------
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go
something like this...
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay £1, sixth = £3, seventh = £7. eighth = £12, ninth = £18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay £59.
So, that's what they decided to do..
--------------------------------------------------------------
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement.
One day, the bar owner said,"Since you are all such good customers,
I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by £20".
Drinks for the ten men would now cost just £80.
------------------------------------------------------------------
It was suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's
bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of
the tax system they had been using, and they proceeded to work out the
amounts each should now pay.
And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving).
The sixth £2 instead of £3 (33% saving).
The seventh £5 instead of £7 (28% saving).
The eighth £9 instead of £12 (25% saving).
The ninth £14 instead of £18 (22% saving).
The tenth £49 instead of £59 (16% saving).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free.
But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.
As it always does, that corrosive reptile 'envy' began to destabilise the friendships.
"I only got a pound out of the £20 saving," declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got £10!"
"Yes, that's right," exclaimed the fifth, "I only saved a pound too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!"
"That's true!" shouted the seventh. "Why should he get £10 back, when
I got only £2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison, "we didn't get
anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!"
The nine men beat the tenth man up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the
bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that, Guardian readers, union administrators, public sector
parasites and other 'victims and martyrs' is how our tax system works.
The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most
benefit from a tax reduction.
Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not
show up any more.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is
somewhat friendlier.
===============================================
Uncle Roy's Guidelines - 5. Quantitative Easing
Q.E.D.
Quantitative Easing Described.
Times are tough in Bristol. Many people are in debt and living on credit.
A banker visited on business a few days ago and dropped into the local hotel to book his accommodation. He left £100 in cash as a deposit and went to inspect the rooms and facilities.
The owner gave him the keys and as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier ran next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher took the £100 note and walked round to his landlord to settle the outstanding rent. The landlord took the £100 note and paid his office manager last week's wages. The office manager took the £100 note and paid his drinks bill at the pub. The publican slipped the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and given her services on credit. The hooker then popped to the hotel and paid off her room bill to the hotel owner with the £100 note. The hotel proprietor replaced the £100 note on the counter.
At that moment the banker came down the stairs, picked up the £100 note, said the room was not satisfactory and left.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the debts are cleared and people are facing the future with a lot more optimism.
Quantitative Easing Described.
Times are tough in Bristol. Many people are in debt and living on credit.
A banker visited on business a few days ago and dropped into the local hotel to book his accommodation. He left £100 in cash as a deposit and went to inspect the rooms and facilities.
The owner gave him the keys and as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier ran next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher took the £100 note and walked round to his landlord to settle the outstanding rent. The landlord took the £100 note and paid his office manager last week's wages. The office manager took the £100 note and paid his drinks bill at the pub. The publican slipped the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and given her services on credit. The hooker then popped to the hotel and paid off her room bill to the hotel owner with the £100 note. The hotel proprietor replaced the £100 note on the counter.
At that moment the banker came down the stairs, picked up the £100 note, said the room was not satisfactory and left.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the debts are cleared and people are facing the future with a lot more optimism.
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how quantitative easing works.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
"I'm 65 and I'm Tired" By Uncle Roy
I'm 65. Two weeks after graduating from university in 1966, with no gap year, I started my first job and have worked ever since. I enjoy work and make a fair living. I didn't inherit my job or my income. I intend to work as long as I am able.
I'm tired but not tired of work.
I'm tired of being told that I should share my earnings and savings with people who don't work.
I'm tired of being told the government will confiscate the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people and projects with which I have no sympathy, and, given the option, which I would not support.
I'm tired of all religions where fundamentalists justify bestiality, rape, murder, revenge because they believe they are showing loyalty to some historical fiction. I am aware of the immensely sophisticated marketing techniques employed by companies in this much-favoured sector. However, every day I read of madmen in the name of religion killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family honour; of nutters in the name of religion rioting over the slightest offence; of murderers in the name of religion eliminating those they regard as non-believers; of arsonist criminals burning schools for girls; of followers of some super-criminal stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of genital mutilation and other atrocities because they feel they are told to do so by a holy book.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which if I choose to debate, I am accused of cynicism.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts are suffering from a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. I did not stuff the white powder up their noses while they tried to fight me off.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of all parties talking about innocent, stupid or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught.
I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. The victim and martyr industry is protected by an institutional resistance to honest analysis, for the fear of being accused of racism, ageism, sexism, and an ever growing list of --isms.
I'm really tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm very tired.
But I'm not unhappy to be 65. I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. Perhaps I'm just sorry my grandchildren may never know the world I knew.
--
I'm 65. Two weeks after graduating from university in 1966, with no gap year, I started my first job and have worked ever since. I enjoy work and make a fair living. I didn't inherit my job or my income. I intend to work as long as I am able.
I'm tired but not tired of work.
I'm tired of being told that I should share my earnings and savings with people who don't work.
I'm tired of being told the government will confiscate the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people and projects with which I have no sympathy, and, given the option, which I would not support.
I'm tired of all religions where fundamentalists justify bestiality, rape, murder, revenge because they believe they are showing loyalty to some historical fiction. I am aware of the immensely sophisticated marketing techniques employed by companies in this much-favoured sector. However, every day I read of madmen in the name of religion killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family honour; of nutters in the name of religion rioting over the slightest offence; of murderers in the name of religion eliminating those they regard as non-believers; of arsonist criminals burning schools for girls; of followers of some super-criminal stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of genital mutilation and other atrocities because they feel they are told to do so by a holy book.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which if I choose to debate, I am accused of cynicism.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts are suffering from a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. I did not stuff the white powder up their noses while they tried to fight me off.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of all parties talking about innocent, stupid or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught.
I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. The victim and martyr industry is protected by an institutional resistance to honest analysis, for the fear of being accused of racism, ageism, sexism, and an ever growing list of --isms.
I'm really tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm very tired.
But I'm not unhappy to be 65. I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. Perhaps I'm just sorry my grandchildren may never know the world I knew.
--
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