For a party to form an executive (government), the party needs a majority of 1 seat over the other party’s in the legislature (parliament). The British electoral system has come under scrutiny because a majority of seats allows a party to form an executive not the overall majority of public votes. In 1945 Labour won a landslide victory in the elections and gained a 180 seat majority over the Conservative party, and a 148 seat majority overall. For each seat Labour won they had polled 30,522 votes. However in the 1951 elections Labour had polled 231,067 more votes from the general public than the Conservative party, however the Conservative party gained 26 more seats and squeezed into power.
It also means that generally we are governed by one party, which increases stability; for example, since 1900 there have only been three coalition governments in power. This also means we are represented by one set of policies rather than two different sets. However, the first-past-the-post system can be seen to distort the results, as the government in power will almost never have the majority of votes. For example, in the 2005 election Labour had 35.2% of the votes and they still won, because they had more seats than the other parties. Furthermore, the actual turnout was only 61.4%, so they were only representing around a third of the population.
The Best and Worst of Americas Presidents Throughout U.S history there have been many good presidents and also many bad presidents. I believe that presidents should be graded on how they handle the economy, foreign policy, and equal rights. From our first president to our current president those I believe are the three most important grading points. A good economy is very important because it gives people a better living by giving them job opportunities and a way for people to make money. Foreign policy is important because it has a lot to do with the trade, technology, and communications of the United States.
The election could have turnout out different if everyone actually took the time to learn about the issues going on and made a educated vote, but who knows, it could have turned out the same. There are many reasons behind this trend of low voter turnout. Many Americans who choose not to vote believe that who ever is voted for president or for congressman will not care about them as an individual or community. They often feel like the government does not care for them and it has let them down. So these people who believe this don’t care to vote because they basically feel like how ever the election turns out it would not affect them in any way another reason why people choose not to vote is because they feel like their vote will not mean anything and it wont affect the turn out at all due to the fact that there are millions of other people voting.
2012 Presidential Election Chances The upcoming election for the primary candidate to represent the Republican Party has turned out to be a rather unusual one. The number of candidates running is an odd number each with their own ideological views, shaping this to be one of the tightest races ever in the history of the Republican Party. Each person has unique leadership qualities and each is harping on their most rational ideas to rid our economy of distress. The reason this election is garnering so much of the Nation’s attention is simply because the American citizens believe one of these candidates has a realistic chance of being our Countries next Commander in Chief. Reason being some believe Obama hasn’t done much to help the economy
The sad fact is that the United States system of funding presidential campaigns remains elitist and undemocratic. A public funding system that would make the process more equitable does exist, but is largely unused because it is badly underfunded. In the absence of public funds that would allow them to be competitive, political office seekers depend upon a relative handful of individuals whose large contributions make up the bulk of the money they raise. Special interests by spreading their wealth to all contestants are able to reduce the likelihood that they will be held accountable for their misdeeds. In conclusion, there are various advantages and disadvantages presented on whether campaign financing will ultimatelly benefit.
A party identification (PID) or long-term attachment that summarizes a person’s outlook and attitude on the merits of a political party is the most influential factor in the voting polls but not to me. Because I have seen and experienced different governments around the world, I have grown to believe in more than a party. I know I am not the only one. Each year more and more Americans are going through the process of dealingnment which means they are losing their identity with a political party. Even then, there are still a percentage of Americans that are strong partisans who feel their party affiliation is on top of everything.
Our country is as divided as ever and there is a substantial lack of unity among the political parties and the citizens of the United States. At the federal level, the two political parties refuse to work together in the best interest of our country. In addition to seeking reelection, their main focus is furthering their political agenda as they refuse to compromise and negotiate with one another. In addition, citizens do not feel accurately represented by these elected federal officials. The citizens are given limited options when voting because only the dominant parties have a realistic chance of winning.
* Parliament has very little pay, and low power. * Congress has a high pay, and high power. * U.S. Congress is more concerned with their own constituencies and careers than with the interests of any organized party or program. Also, worrying about the voters they represent is more important than worrying about whether the president succeeds with his programs. This mean Congress is a decentralized institution.
I feel our government is not looking out for most of the people. I feel that they only look out for the wealthy, which is a small percentage of our country. Now people are getting fed up, and they are speaking out and protesting. In response to the mostly peaceful protests, the police are using violence to try to stop them. It doesn’t seem like the government is doing much to fix the situation.