Fear, ignorance can distort truth

Dear Editor: The BC Liberal Party sent me a flyer about electoral reform.

It is amazing how far fear and ignorance can distort the truth. They state: 1. “More power for unelected political insiders.” A statement that has no foundation in facts whatsoever but what a well-known politician in the U.S. will tell you, that makes it useful for manipulation of the electorate.

2. “Radical fringe parties setting the agenda.” A well-known argument, but the truth is just the opposite. There are quite a few dictators and wannabe dictators in the world and none of them got elected through proportional representation. Fringe parties can get into power under the right circumstances of political upheaval, mass migration or economic stress.

In Canada, with five federal parties, a radical party can get a majority in Parliament with just over 20 per cent of the vote. Look at Germany in the 1930s.

Currently, in some European countries, there are sizeable fringe extreme-rightwing parties that have been successfully denied any power by the strength of proportional representation, because none of the other parties wanted to form a coalition with them.

Under PR, a fringe party needs more than 50 per cent of the popular vote to get into power. That is not a fringe party anymore.

3. “Less accountability, less stability, and more frequent elections.”

Since the Second World War in Europe, where most countries have PR, there is, on average, no difference in time between elections when compared with countries that go by first past the post. These are just facts. Drawbacks of first past the post: 1. Repeated majority governments that have the backing of less than 40 per cent of the popular vote.

2. Low voter turnout. At best, 60 per cent on average under FPTP and over 90 per cent under PR. Why bother to vote if you live in a “safe” riding? Safe for the party that is not your choice. This is a big factor here in the Okanagan. If you are not a BC Liberal, your vote does not count.

3. The habitual 10-year swing from right to left with the near extermination of the losing party (1993 and 2015).

4. The polarization of partisan politics. Listen to “question period” and watch the partisan warfare in the United States.

Think about this before you cast your ballot. Goze Vlasblom Westbank