Latest news with #electoralreform
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Fairer elections and the threat of Reform UK
George Monbiot captures the betrayal and despair felt by millions of Labour voters who thought they were voting for change at the last general election (How we can smash Britain's two-party system for good at the next election, 27 May).Less than a year later they have found themselves with a government pursuing much the same cruel austerity policies as the Conservative one it replaced. And he's right that Keir Starmer's cynical descent into inflammatory Powellite rhetoric is a gift to Nigel Farage. Most voters want nothing to do with the politics of fear and division, but the UK's antiquated and unrepresentative electoral system fails to reflect the wishes of the progressive left and centre-left majority. A hung parliament is now a very real possibility after the next election. This would indeed be a huge opportunity to scrap the first-past-the-post system that has blighted British politics for so long. As two Green MPs who overturned massive majorities to win our seats, we know it's possible for progressives to win against all the odds – and to change the electoral system, we will have to. The Green party has long championed electoral reform. As candidates for the party's leadership, our aim is to be heading a much larger group of Green MPs in parliament, giving us the leverage and negotiating power to actually achieve such transformational Chowns MPGreen party, North HerefordshireAdrian Ramsay MPGreen party, Waveney Valley George Monbiot is right to challenge the shortcomings of our electoral system. However, all electoral systems are flawed and in a democracy no individual decides what sort of government gets elected afterwards. Across Europe, where proportional representation prevails, the traditional parties of power are being replaced – not by a rainbow coalition of progressives, but by the seemingly inexorable rise of the hard right. In Scotland, the SNP-Green coalition broke down. In the UK, when the Liberal Democrats held the balance of power, they sided with the Conservatives in inflicting ideological austerity. When we had a referendum between engagement with Europe or isolation, the majority voted for the latter. The failure of our mainstream parties is that they have lost the ability to engage with ordinary people. Politics is the difficult task of leading the agenda while responding to the hopes and fears of wider society and all the ambiguities and compromises that are needed to do so. The government's shift in language from restraint to support for those most in need might be the beginning of something better – we can but BrownIlkley, West Yorkshire George Monbiot is spot-on in his analysis of the dysfunctions of our electoral system. One glaring danger he doesn't mention, however, can be seen in the steep rise of the Reform UK vote. We used to hear as one of the justifications of the current system that it prevented extreme parties from gaining a significant representation. Never mind that this revealed an arrogantly undemocratic mindset, the evidence now is that the distortions of the system may precipitate precisely the opposite outcome. Given the fragmentation of votes, it is entirely possible that, with fewer than 30% of the ballot, Reform could achieve an absolute majority in parliament at the next general election. That undemocratic disaster, quite apart from the other democratic imperatives George identifies, should be ringing alarm bells for urgent SmithGlasgow Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
4,115 names in 24 hours, and counting (continued)
Today we publish the names of almost 5,000 people who have joined us in calling on the Government to reform the British electoral system. Today we publish the names of almost 5,000 people who have joined us in calling on the Government to reform the British electoral system. In the 24 hours since we launched our Campaign For Democracy we have been inundated with messages of support from our readers. Responses have been arriving via our website and by post at the rate of more than one every minute. We invited you to make the case for a more equitable voting system directly to the Prime Minister, by filling out a form with your name on it and posting it to us. The names of those who join our campaign will be collated and the full list delivered to Downing Street. We are reprinting the form today to make sure that everyone can make their voice heard. If you desire a fairer voting system, fill out the form below and send it to The Independent. Peter Mabey; Robin Maccormick; Scott Macdonald; Thomas Macfarlane; Anton Machacek; James Mackenzie; Elizabeth Mackie; Jane Mackie; Nigel Mackie ; Margaret Macklin; D Maclaren; Cathy Maclean; Charles Maclean; Neil Macmillan; Nicholas Macmillan; Christine Macrae; Brian Maddock; Tim Magill; Marie Maguire; Tim Maguire; Omar Farouk Mahomed; Ashok Mahajan ; Ameneh Mahloudji; Mariam Mahmood; Tabarik Mahmood; Yosef Mahmood; Khalid Mahmud ; Adam Mahomed; Hannah Mahomed; Imran Mahomed; Alexis Mahoney; Vanessa Mahoney; Roger Mainwood; Alpesh Maisuria; William Maitland; Muhammad Majid; Richard Malbon; John Malcolm; Nigel Male; Sarah Malka; Francois Mallet; Debbie Mallinson; Raymond Mallon; Peter Malloy; Saleh Mamon ; Philippa Jill Manasseh; Amarjit Mand; Gale Mand; Manjit Mand; Tara Mand ; Aishah Mangera; Firoz Manji; John Frederick Mann; Laurence Mann; Dave Manneh ; John Manning; Michael Mannion; Gavin Mansfield; Ian Manson; Sue Marbrow ; Patricia Marchant; Paul Marchant; Simon Marchant; Alexander Marginson; Harris Marilyn; David Marks; Paul Marks; Catherine Markwell; Neil Markwick; Thomas Marley; Barry Marnane ; Joseph Marron; Benjamin Marsden; Edgar Marsh; Alex Marshall; James Marshall; Owen Marshall; Peter Marshall; Philip Marshall; Christopher Marsland; Gregory Marthews; Patrick Martin; Richard Martin; Paul Martin-Royle; Gianfranco Marucci; John Masding; Maris Maskell; Jonathan Maslen; Daniel Mason; Dare Mason; Thomas Mason ; Tom Mason; Gavin Massey; John Masterman; Philip Masters; Peter Matanle; James Matheson; John Matheson; Paul Mathews; Daniel Matlin; Philip Matthew; Susan Matthew; Alan Matthews ; Isobel Matthews; Mary Matthews; Nick Matthews; Philip Matthews; Wyn Matthews; John Matthissen; Chris Maude; Kate Maude ; Daniel Maxwell; Duncan May; Kate May; Mary May; Carl Maycock; Peter Maydell; Jonathan Mayfield; Jeremy Maynard; Imtiaz Mazhary; David Mc Adam; Christian Mc Ardle; Mark Mc Laughlin; Duncan Mcallister; Brian Mcanulty; Mark Mcaree ; Gerald Mcateer; Laura Mcbrien; Liam Mcbrien; Brendan Mccabe; Ross Mccalden; Denis Mccallum; Philip Mccann; Nicholas Mccarthy; Sam Mccartin; Carole Mccartney; Gerry Mccartney; Kate Mc Caul; Chris Mcclelland; Gerhard Mc Cormick; Paul Mccormick; John Mccorriston; Tristan Mccowan; Stuart Mccracken; Shirley Mccready; Shelagh Mccusker; Elizabeth Mcdermott; Graham Mcdermott; John Mcdermott; Jonathan Mcdermott; Ian Mcdonald; Kate Mcdermott; Nadine Mcdermott; Gerry Mcdevitt; Alexander Mcdonald; Kirsty Mcdonald; Martyn Mcdonald; Emmet Mcdonough-Brown; Ewan Mcdowall; Peter Mcdowall; Trevor Mcdowall; Joanne Mcewan; Clara Mcewen; David Mcfarlane; Duncan M Mcfarlane; Jean Mcfarlane; Malcolm Mcfarlane; Margaret Joyce Mcfarlane; Paul Mcfarlane; Shaun Mcgall; John Mcgarrigle; Roderick Mcgeachy; Jackie Mcghee; Kevin Mcgimpsey; Dominic Mcgonagle; Kerry Mcgrath; Charles Mcgrory; Eamonn Mcguinness; William Mcguinness; Gerard Mcgurn; Ross Mcinnes ; Stuart Mcintyre; Edward Mcintosh; Justin Mckeating; Alexander Mckee; Andrew Mckenzie; Anthony Mckie; Caitlin Mckiernan; Roddy Mclachlan; Colm Mclaughlin; James Mclean; Donald Mcleod; Conor Mclernon; Michael Mcloughlin ; Graym Mcmillan; John Mcmillan; Tracey Mcmillan; Lilian Ann Mcmonagle; Michael Mcmonagle; Marion Mcneill; Rosalind Mcneil; John Mcneill; Michael Mcpherson; Stephen Mcsawley; Paul Mcwhinney; Dave Mcwilliams; Oliver Mcwilliams; Alan Mead; Michael Meadowcroft; Guy Meagher; Dave Meakins; Matthew Mears ; Ron Medlow; Mustafa Meghjee; Rakesh Mehan; Barry Mehaim; Stuart Meikle; Christina Meiklejohn; Reinhold Meinen; Gary Melia; Gordon Melling ; Gordon Mellor; Christine Melsom; Robin Meltzer; Girish Menon; Clive Menzies ; James Menzies; Leo Mepham; Penny Mercer; John Meredith; Mark Merrens ; Guy Merrick; Daniel Merriott; Ian Messenger; Nigel Meyer; Azad Miah ; Abid Mian; Helle Michelsen; David Micklem; Brian Micklethwaite; Andrew Middleton ; Ben Middleton; Christopher Middleton; Margaret Middleton ; Brett Midgley; Anthony Miles; Brevan Miles; Edward Milford; Michael Milillo; Ian Millard; Daniel Miller; Paul Miller; Peter Miller; Roy Miller ; Suzanne Miller; Derek Milliams; Susan Milliams; Alan Mills; Nigel Mills; Rob Mills; Thea Mills; William Milne ; Lisa Minnikin; Gareth Minton; Daniel Miracapillo; Howard Mitchell; James Mitchell; Lance Mitchell; William Mitting; David Mizrachi; Ithiel Mogridge; Mumtaz Mohammed; Ed Moisson; Trevor Molyneux; David Montague; Lynda Montague; Mary Montague; Peter Montague; Claire Montgomery; Haydn Moody; Alexander Stephe Moore; Chris Moore; Jonathan Moore; Graham Moore; R. I. Moore; Susan Moore; Peter Moorey ; David Moran; Nicole Moreham; Anne Morgan; Douglas Morgan; Giles Morgan ; Harrry Morgan; John Morgan; Peter Morgan; Philip Morgan; Gaurang Morjaria; Alison Morley; Malcolm Morley; Peter Morley ; Andrew Morris; Mark Morris; Colleen Morrison; Hugh Morrison; John Morrison; Jonathan Morrison; William Morrison ; Colin Morsley; Sion Morton; Robin Moseley; Martha Moss; Peter Moss; Rebecca Moss; Ilona Motyer; Alexandra Mountford; John Moxley; Inge Muhleder; Mark Muhleder; Tatora Mukushi; David Muldoon; Kate Mullock; Kelvin Mullock; Allan Munro; John Munro; Marion Munro ; Miratul Muqit; Adam Murby; Alastair Murdoch; Alex Murphy; B Murphy ; Nick Murphy; Paul Murphy ; Stephen Murphy; Angus Murray; Ben Murray; Chris Murray; Douglas Murray ; Luke Murray; Paul Murray; Susan Murray; Michael Mussard; Susan Myatt; Jeff Nagle; Tom Nairn ; Edward Nakhle; John Nally ; Patrick Napier; Adrian Nash; Andrew Nash; Andy Nash; Babara Nash; Carole Nash; Harold Nash ; Simon Nathan; Dario Navaro; Malcolm Naylor; Anil Nayyar; Adam Nazir Ahmed Tela; Charles Neame; Annette Neary; Stuart Needham; Jayraj Negandhi; Claudia Nehmzow; Joseph Neil; Ken Neil; James Ian Neill ; Stephanie Neill; Jim Nelson; Sabina Netherclift; Mark Nettlingham; Carol Newbold; Anthony Newman; Miles Newman; Monica Newnham; Osmond Newnham; Richard Newson; Michael Newth; Peter Newton; Philip Nicholas; David Nicholl; Christopher Nicholls; Stephen Nicholls; Tom Nicholls; Carl Nichols ; David Nicholson; Mark Nickol; Craig Nicol; Timothy Nicolas; Josh Niderost; Guy Nielsen; Chris-Marie Niemelae; Neda Nikbakht; Eleni Nikolakaki; Brian Nissen; Collins Noel ; Jeremy Noel-Tod; David Nolan; Graham Nolan; Jacqueline Noltingk; Gordon Noone; Mac Norgate; John Norman; William Norman; David Norris ; Emma Norris; Peter Norris; Richard Norris-Maclean; David North; Sophie North ; Alice Nunn; Michael Nye; Martin O' Rourke; Jason O'CONNELL; Peter O'CONNELL; Lawrie O'CONNOR; Padraig O'CONNOR; Michael O'DONNELL; Eamon O'DONOVAN; Kieran O'DONOVAN; Malcolm O'DONOVAN; Suzanne O'LEARY; Declan O'NEILL; Dominique O'NEILL; Fran O'NEILL; Dominic O'REILLY; Eugenia O'REILLY; Fergal O'SHEA; James O'SULLIVAN; Matt Oatley; John Ogden; Elizabeth Ogilvie; Lesley Ogilvie; Ayhan Ogretici; Paul Olden; Maria Oliveira; John Oliver ; Justin Oliver; Neil Olner; Richard Oppenheimer; Paolo Oprandi; Riccardo Oprandi; Ian Ormrod; Sharon Orr; Keith Orrell; Philip Osman ; Krystyna Ost; Jane Ostler; Tim Ostler; Carlos Ottery ; Phil Outram; Philip Overton; Gillian Owen; J.F. Owen; Katharine Owen ; L. M. Owen; Nick Owen; Ron Owen; Rosie Owen; William Owen; John Paul Owens; Nathan Oxley; Richard Paddock; Brendan Padmore; Joan Padro; Glenda Page ; Graham Page; Richard Page; Daniel Jerome Paget; Luke Palmer; Margaret Palmer ; Pamela Pamela; Tasos Papadimitriou; John Parfitt; Rosalind Parfitt; Ian Parish ; Julie Park; Alec Parker; Anne Parker; Beth Parker; Cathy Parker; Darren Parker; Jason Parker ; Kip Parker; Kevin Parkes; Murray Parkin; Richard Parkin; Buff Parmee; Peter Parminter; Aimee Parnell; Bryn Parry; Gwyn Parry; Steven Parry; Cecilia Parsons; Katherine Parsons; Nigel Partridge; Sue Paskins ; Kevin Patch; Charles Patchett; Hitesh Patel; Mehboob Patel; Pravin Patel ; Andrew Paterson; Richard Paterson; Sabina Paterson; Wayne Paton; Keith Pattenden ; Gareth Patterson; Joe Patterson; Neil Patterson; Graham Paul; Nicholas Pavitt ; Allan Payne; Robert Payne; Phil Payton; Adam Peacock; Ian Peacock ; Stephen Peacock; James Peak; David Pearce; Alison Pearman; Alexandra Pearson; Emma Pearson; Kevan Pearson; Mark Pearson; Marshall Pearson; Neil Pearson; Rachel Pearson; Sandra Pearson; Andrew Peden Smith; John Pedersen; Michael Pegg; David Peirson; Robin Pell; Richard Pelling; Mary Pembleton; Robin Penman; Colin Penning; Jed Pennington; Michael Peoples; Janice Percival; Haydn Perrett; Benjamin Perry; David Perry; Johan Persson; Carl Peters ; John Peterson; James Pettett; Richard Pettifer; David Phelan; Mik Phelps ; Mark Philipp; Ben Phillips; Catherine Phillips; Christopher Phillips; David Phillips; Martin Phillips; Richard Phillips; Wilfred Phillips; John Phythian; Clara Piccirillo; Alex Pickering; Philip Pickering; Michael Pickles; Danny Pidgley; Hannah Pidgley; Julie Pidgley; Kenneth Pidgley; Julian Pillans; Eleanor Pinfield; Nicholas Pink; Geoff Pinney ; Owen P; John F Pitt-Pladdy; Mark Pittaway; John Plank; Parmjeet Plummer ; Robert Plummer; Sara Poffenberger; Wilbur Poffenberger ; Michael Pointon; David Pond; Penelope Poore; Vandana Poria; John Porter; Jason Porthouse; Keith Potter; Julie Pottinger; Anne Potts; Yuan Potts; Emmanuel John Poularas; Martin Poulsom; Christopher Poulton; David Powell; Rachel Powell ; Sally Powell; Mike Power; Russell Powter; Tim Prater; Michelle Pratley ; Fiona Preece; John Prewer; Andrew Price; Byron Price; John Price ; Ann Prince; Jason Prince; Michael Prince; Stuart Prince; Robert Prins; Jonathan Prior; Robin Prior; Will Prior; Malcolm Prisk; David Profitt; Phillip Prophett; Michael Prosser; Frank Proud ; Robert Prowse; Geraint Pugh; Stephen Pugh; Rob Pullar; Allan Purnell ; Jason Purseglove; Tina Purseglove; Toby Purser; Tim Pursglove; Brian Putman ; Tim Pye; Tim Pyke ; Usman Qadir; Gareth Quested; Caleb Quilley; Stephen Quinn; Simon Quinton ; Matloob Qureshi; Paul Radcliffe; Henrik Rademacher; Susan Rademacher; Irene Rafanell; Simon Rafferty; Sajid Rafik ; Vinod Raghavan; Syed Tariq Rahman; Peter Railton; Jamie Ralston; Pooja Ramani ; Maria Lillia Ramillano; David Ramsbottom; Andy Ramsden; Nigel Ramsden; Raaj Rana ; Bill Randall; Mervyn Rands; Barry Rankin; Kathleen Rastle; Paul Ratcliffe; Darryl Ratiram; N Rattle; Farooq Rawat; Chris Raybould ; Danielle Rayner; Emmanuel Rayner; Timothy Rayner; Joseph Reader; Michael Redgwell; Andrew Redman; Christopher Redmond; Matthew Redmond ; Josie Reeder; Andrew Rees ; Ivor Rees; Alistair Reid; Charlotte Reid; David Reid; George Reid ; Paul Reid; Tish Reid; Catherine Reifen; Indrek Reiman; Peter Renard; Peter Rennie; Stephen Renold ; Fabrice Retkowsky; Ian Reveley; Gary Revell; Harold Revill; Andrew Reynolds; Anthony Reynolds; Tarique Reza; Andrew Rhodes ; Emma Rhodes; Ian Rhodes; Jonathan Rhodes; Sophie Rhodes; David Arfon Rhys; Martin Rice; Michael Rice ; Alan Richards; Angela Richards; Hamish Richards; Janet Richards; Roger Richards; Suzette Richards; Walford Richards; Keith Richardson; Melanie Richardson; Patricia Richens; Stuart Riches; Joe Richmond; Jonathan Rickels; Richard Ricks; Dieter Riddall; Gareth Ridewood; Chris Riggs; Jo Riley; Neil Rimmer; Anthony Rippon; Jonathan Ritchie; William Ritchie; Jenny Ritson; Leanne I Rivers; Emily Rix; Sean Rix ; Reza Rizvi; Karim Rkaina ; R Robert; Anthony Roberts; Colin Roberts; Geoff Roberts; Hugh Roberts; James Roberts ; John Roberts; Jonathan Roberts; Nigel Roberts; P.S. Roberts; Peter Roberts ; Roger Roberts; S Roberts; Simon Roberts; Ian Robertson; Brian Robinson; James Robinson; John Robinson; Nick Robinson; Sara Robinson; Catherine Robson; Angela Roche; Jennifer Roche; Mary Roche; Amy Rodger; Catherine Rodgers; Peter Rodgers; John Rogers; Larne Rogers; Michael Rogers; Nicholas Rogers; Paul Rogers; David Rolfe; Esteban Roman; Benjamin Romberg; David Room; Brenda Rooney; Con Rooney; Niall Rooney; Danielle Rose ; Judy Rose; Patricia Rose; Peter Rose; David Roser; Philip Rosewall; Camilla Ross; Colin Ross ; Hugh Ross; Robert Ross; Jeremy Rossell; Lyndon Rosser; Dean Rossiter; Dom Rotheroe; Tom Rothery ; George Rounds; Ben Rouse; Andrew Routledge; Stephen Rowan; Andy Rowell ; Nicola Rowland; Neil Rowlands; Rhodri Rowlands; Ben Rubinstein; Peter Ruddick; Mark Rugman; Carlos Ruiz-Spohn; Marcos Ruiz-Spohn ; Christoph Rummel; Louise Rundle; Salman Rushdie; Simon Rushton; Philip Rusling; Alasdair Russell; Darrin Russell; Pamela Russell; Terry Russell; Toby Russell; Kim Rutherford; Adam Rutland ; Paul Rutland; John Ryan; Maria Ryan; Stephanie Rybak; Miriam Ryle; Kevin Rymell; Hanan Saadeh ; Jiries Saadeh; Naveed Sadiq; Graham Sadler; Punitpaul Saini; Michael Sainsbury; Abdus Salam; William Salisbuiry; John Salter; Ian Samain; Patrick Samphire ; Paul Samwell-Smith; Margaret Sanders; Nicholas Sanders ; Peter Sanderson; Anthony Sandys; Margaeret Joy Sandys; Ivan Sanford; Vipul Sangoi ; Enrico Santangelo; Roger Santer; Queenie Saoul; Nicola Sard ; Dhaud Sardar; Matthew Sargent; Nicholas Sargent; Ed Saunders; Ian Saunders ; Deborah Savage; Matthew Savage; Dragan Savin; Christine Sawdon; John Sawdon; Charlotte Sayer; Ian Scantlebury; Jean Scarff; Philip Scarff; David Schley ; Andreas Schneider; Mike Schofield; David Schoibl; Di Schonhut; Mike Scialom ; Anne Scott; Barbara Scott; Daniel Scott; David Scott; Henry Scott ; Ian Scott; Michael Scott; Paul Scott; Richard Scott; Mark Scourse; Katherine Scutchey; Mark Seddon; Jonathan Sedgebeer; Robert Sedgwick; John Seeley ; Seeta Seetharaman; Tim Seitz; Paul Selby; Peter Selby; Sally Selim; Matthew Sellwood; David Semon; James Sergeant; Terry Sessford; Catherine Setterfield ; Jonathan Seyghal; Suzanne Seymour; Nadeem Shah; Prina Shah; Prina Shah ; Sanjeev Shah; Veeral Shah; Mehrnaz Shahabi; Kambiz Shahri; Amina Shaikh ; Mohommad Shaikh; Paul Shakspeare; Gregor Shanks; John Shannon; Jo Shapcott ; Ramzan Sharif; Atul Sharma; Pranev Sharma; Roy Sharman ; Patricia Sharratt; Richard Sharratt; Amy Shaw; Diane Shaw; Michael Shaw ; Trevor Shaw; Lesley Shearer; Richard Shearn; Barrington Shears; Cherry Shelton-Mills; Stephen Shephard; Neil Shepherd; Robert Shepherd; Simon Shepherd; David Shepherdson; Clive Sheppard; Helen Sheppard; Robin Sheppard; Ian Sherwood; James Sherwood; Prakash Shetty; Greg Shickle; John Shields ; Yoke Shin; Richard Shore; Cassandra Sigsgaard; Christopher Simmonds; Dudley Simms; Hazel Simpson; Keith Simpson; Paul Simpson ; Sandra Simpson; Liam Sims; Charles Sinclair; Stuart Sinclair; Frederuc Sipiere; Craig Sirel; Dalip Sirinathsinghji; Arvind Sivaramakrishnan; Mhari Sivewright; Colleen Skelton; Owen Skelton; Alex Skene; Christopher Skillen; Mark Skingle; David Skinner; Paul Skinner ; Vanessa Skinner; Zoe Skinner; Anthony Slade; Gavin Slade; Christopher Slader; George-Anne Slater; Marilyn Slator; Finbar Slevin; Nik Slingsby; Fiona Smailes; Robert Smart; Tim Smillie; Andrew Smith ; Angela Smith; Anthony Smith; Anthony Smith; Caroline Smith; Colin Smith ; Craig Smith; Darren Smith; David Smith; David Smith; Graham Smith ; Greg Smith; Heather Smith; Helen Smith; James Smith; Julia Smith ; Kate Smith; Martin Smith; Michael Smith; Peter Smith; Peter Smith ; Philip Smith; Richard Smith; Robert Smith; Russell James Smith; Trevor Paul Smith; Umera Smith; Vivienne Smith; William Smith; Richard Smith; Neil Smithies; Silvia Smullen; James Smyth; Peter Sneddon; Deirdre Snook; David Snowball; James Snowdon; Katherine Sobey; Paul Sobey; Rina Sofecleous; Andrew Sommers; Levente Somogyi; Peter Southon; Christine Sowden; Christopher Sowden ; Stephen Sowden; Stephen Sowerby; Graham Hugh Sowter; Judith Catherine Sowter; James Sparling; Alan Douglas Speake; Caroline Speer; Donald Speirs; Mark Spence; Lorna Spenceley; Elizabeth Spencer; Stephen Spencer; Thomas James Splaine; Michael Spratling; Helen Spriggs; Linda Squire ; Steve Squires; Andrew St Clair Johnson; Deborah St John Gray ; Richard Staley; Mark Stallard; Anthony Stamp; Nicholas Standen; Iwan Standley; William Standring; Susanna Stanford; Richard Stanley; Robert Stanley; David Stansfield; Claire Stanyer; John Staples; John Stapleton ; Nigel Stapley; Nicholas A H Starkey; Christopher Starling ; Richard Startari; Trevor Steel; Allister Steele; Chris Steele; Judy Steele ; Robert Steele; Mark Steer; Ewan Stefani; Susan Stefani; Justin Stenner; Karen Stenner; Sarah Stenner; Duncan Stephen; Kelleher Stephen; Malcolm Stephenson; Trevor Stephenson; Jon Stern; Volker Steuber ; Andrew Stevens; Anthony Stevens; Kate Stevens; Robin Stevens; Thomas Stevens; Lynn Stevenson; Val Stevenson; Robert Stewart; Gordon Stewart-Ellens; Tom Stibbe; Gary Stimson; A Stinton; Calum Stirling; Tom Stockwell; Nicholas Stokes; Jean Storey; Jonathan Storey; John Stothard; Patricia Stoughton; Dean Strachan; Donald Strachan; Colin Stratford; James Stringer; John Stringfellow; Margaret Stringfellow; Edmund Strong; John Stuart; David Stubbs; James Stubbs ; Robin Studd; Benjamin Stukenberg; Donald Sturgeon; Paul Sturrock; Paul Stuyvesant; James Styring; Paul Sullivan; Alex Summerfield; Nicholas Summers; Nathan Sunley-Smith; Peter Surr; Gay Sutherland; Jose Sutherland; Kay Sutherland; Tim Sutton-Day; Hans Swahn ; Robert Swallow; Robin Swamidasan; David Swanson; David Swayne; Gareth Sweeney ; Paul Sweeney; Alexander Sweet; Stephen Swindells; Bernard Swords; Roger Symonds; Thomas Szirtes; Donald Tait; Samir Taktak; Marc Talary; Cris Talbot ; Peter Talbot; Mauro Talevi; Paul Tambini; Shamim Tamuri; Leong Tan ; Sean Tan; Georgie Tanner; Naomi Tanner; Morris Tarragano; Roger Tas; Samer Taslaq; Andrew Tate ; Malcolm Tattersall; Monir Tayeb; Alan Taylor; Alec Taylor; Andrew Taylor ; Barry Taylor; James Taylor; John H Taylor; John. A. Taylor; Ken Taylor ; Lesley Taylor; Linda Taylor; Lyn Taylor; Martyn Taylor; Matthew Taylor; Miles Taylor; Oscar Taylor; Paul Taylor; Peter Taylor; Peter Taylor ; Philip Taylor; Stephen Taylor; Tanya Taylor; Wendy Taylor; Jason Tebble ; Nazir Ahmed Teladia; Daren Tennyson; Robert Thacker; Christopher Theobald; David Thew; Ulysses Thirteen; Andrew Thomas; David Thomas; Hywel Thomas; Laure Thomas ; Owen Thomas; Peter Thomas; Richard Thomas; Steffan Thomas; David Thompson; Guy Thompson; Henry Thompson; J Thompson; Jeremy Thompson; Neil Thompson; Iain Thompson-Waight; Andy Thomsen; Chris Thomson ; Mhairi Thomson; Peter Thomson; Peter Thorn; Penelope Thornton; Paul Thrussell; John Tibbles; John Tierney; Laurie Tighe; Vic Tilaks ; Andrew Tilt; Malcolm Timperley; Andrew Tingley; Shaun Tinsley; David Tite ; Gerald Toal; Bruce Tober; Brigitte Tocknell; Ian Tocknell; James Todd ; Joseph Todd; Sally Tomkins; Daniel Tomlinson; Louisa Tomlinson; Richard Tomsett; Simon Tonge; Clifford.G. Tonkin; James Topping; Jen Topping; Payam Torabi ; Gordon Toumaniantz; Emily Trahair; Kevin Trainor; Paul Travers; Benjamin Trenerry; Robert Triggs; Matthew Tringham; Oliver Tringham; Ben Troke; Angela Trotman ; Simon Troy; Louise Truslow; John Trustrum; Neophytos Tsangarides; Michael Tucker; Colin R. Tuckwell; David Tugwell; Jonathan Tuliani; Peter Tullett; Roy Tummon; Derek Tunnicliffe; Ian Turgoose; Shelly Turnbull; Bob Turner; David Turner; Dina Turner; Dominic Turner; Kirstie Turner; Rodney Turner; Sarah Turner; Jennifer Twite; Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake; Laura Tyson; Guenther Uher; Alex Ullermayer; Keith Underhill; John Underwood; Shruti Uppal; Malcolm Upshall; Kenichiro Urata; Olivier Usher; Shane Vahey; Mukund Govind Vaidya; Christopher Van Den Berghe; William Van Wyngaarden ; Karen Varga; Jonathan Vause; Janice Veal; Sheila Veitch; Tholkappiyan Vembian; Felice Vermeulen; Matthew Vernon; Bryan Verran ; Jill Verran; Argent Veseli; Paul Vickers; Gaea Zelie Vilage; Jonathan Vince; Mark Vincent; Patrick Vincent; Balvinder Virdee; John Virgin; Michael Virks; John Volleamere; Natalie Von Westarp; Germaine Vonhof; Louisa Vowles; Martin Wagner; Azhar Waheed ; Christopher Wain; Sandra Wain; Chris Wainwright; Jonathan Wainwright; Liz Wainwright; Nathan Wakelam; Emily Walch; Shirley Walford ; Bryan Walker; Jack Walker; Jenny Walker; John Walker; Karl Walker ; Keith Walker; Matt Walker; Matthew Walker; Robert Walker; Tim Walker; Lindsay Wallace; Amanda Wallbank; Andrew James Walledge; Eric Walmsley; Sarah Walpole; Peter Walsh; Helen Walters; Ian Walters; Carole Ward ; Christopher Ward; Ian Ward; Jeremy Ward; Matthew Ward; Natasha Ward; Peter Ward; John Warden ; Giles John Pereg Wardle; Daniel Warner; Hugh Warner ; Janet Warner; Timothy Warner; Janet Warren; L Warren; Paul Warren ; Lynda Warrington; Philip Waslin; Benjamin Waterhouse; Stephen Waterhouse; Ian Watering; David Waters; Ian Waters; Lucy Watkins; Myles Watkins; Kevin Watkinson; Colin Carrick Watson; Daniel Watson; Penny Watson ; Peter Watson; Stephen Watson; Stuart Watson; Tam Watson; Andrew Watt ; David Watt; Cathy Wattebot; Lesley Watters; Anna Watts; Patricia Webb; Jane Webber; Richard Webley ; Anthony Webster; Chris Webster; Jackie Webster; Stephen Webster; Victor Webster; Nazeem Weeder; Dave Weeks; Arjuna Weerasooriya; Jon Welch; Robert Welch ; Sarah Wellard; Kate Wellesley; Leonard Wells; Leonard Welsh ; Jane West; Rachel Western; David Weston; Jonathan Weston; Robert Weston; Neil Westwood; Robert Westwood; John Wetherill; Brian Hugh Whalley; Chris Whately-Smith ; P Wheeler; John Whelan; Matthew Whelan; Rebecca Whincup; Joanne Whitcher; Arthur White; David White; Jo White; Keith White ; Michael White; Nick White ; Olivia White; Peter White; Phil White; Rebecca White; Russell White; Sheila White; Stephen White ; Darrell Whitehead; David Whitehead; Liz Whitehead; Paul Whitehead; Martin Whiteside; Matthew Whitfield; Robin Whitmore; Alan Whittaker; Michael Whittingham; Brian Wichmann; Gemma Louise Wieberg; John Wightman; Michael Wignall; Margaret Wilcox; Ronald Wild; Mary Wilde; Neil Wildgust; Roger Wildin; Adrian Wilding ; Michael Wilen; Daniel Wiley; James Wilkins; Amanda Wilkinson; Barry Wilkinson; Caroline Wilkinson; Claire Wilkinson; David Wilkinson; Robert Wilkinson; Darren Willcock; Paul Willenbrock; Christopher Williams; Elizabeth Williams; Graham Williams; Julie Williams; Justin Williams; Matthew Williams; Melanie Williams; Peter Williams; Ross Williams; Simon Williams; Stephen Williams; Thomas Stephen Williams; Dean Williamson; John Williamson; Julia Williamson; Margaret Williamson; Matthew Williamson; David Willis; Gillian Willis ; Mervyn Willis; Louisa Willoughby; Jamie Wills; Nicholas Willsmer; Bruce Wilmot; Jane Wilmot; Gavin Wilsher; Andrew Wilson; Ivana Wilson; Patricia Wilson; Rebecca Wilson; Richard Wilson; William Wilson; Annie Wiltcher; John Wiltcher; Andrew Wimble; Rachel Wimslow; Bryan Winch; Tanya Winch; Maxwell Winchester; James Windmill; Stuart Wingate; Kieran Wingfield; Ian Wingrove; Billy Winn; Shwe Winn; Simon Winnard; Tim Winstanley; Ruaidhr Winter; Tina Winters; Bonnie Winterstine; Christine Wise; Richard Wise; Brian Wiseman ; Carol Wishart; Iain Wishart; Verity Wislocki; Steve Withers; Darren Wogan ; Brian Wolfe; Mark Wollacott; Stephen Wombwell; Marc Wongsam; Catharine Wood ; Christopher Wood; Colin Wood; Geoffrey Wood; Jeffrey Wood ; Lauren Wood; Nick Wood; Patrick Wood; Victoria Wood; Elaine Woodard; Gary Woodfine; Laura Woodhouse; Keith Woodland; Gordon Woods; Tim Woodward ; Stephen Wooldridge; Harold Woolf; Jonathan Woolf; Malcolm Woolfson; Alicia Woolley; Michael Woolley; Mick Woolley; Anthony Worboys; Simon Workman; David Worsley ; John Wren; Steven Wreyford; Amanda Wright; Andrew Wright; Chris Wright; Daniel Wright ; E. Wright; James Wright; Michael Wright; Mike Wright; Nicholas Wright; Paul Wright; Peter Wright ; Sheila Wright; V J Wright; Claire Wring; Xuefeng Wu; Tristram Wyatt ; Keiran Wynyard; Linda Xenophontos; Robin Yassin-Kassab; John Yates; Russ Yates ; Yusuf Yearwood; Michael Yeoman; Hasan Yesilkaya; Sai Yeung; Celyn Yorath ; Phil Yorke; William Youds; Claire Young; George Young; Greta Young ; Imelda Young; Roger Young; Stuart Young; Nusrat Yousuf; Han Yue ; Najib Yusuf; Fatima Zahra; Nayyar Zaidi; Syed Asif Zaidi; Oliver Zeldin; Richard Mugford; David Myers; Julei Neale; Andrew Neate; Ulrich Nehmzoq; Florence Neilson; John Neilson; Olivia Neilson; Tom Neilson; Helen Neilson; Ian Newton; Jill Nolan; Nick Norton; Anthony Olway; Lembit Opik; Gregory Page; Agneta Pallinder; John Pointon; Craig Pollard; Philip Potter; David Pridmore; Gary Reynolds; Julian Richards; Wayne Rippin ; Stephen Roberts; Rebecca Roberts; David Robinson; Louise Rogers; Arthur William Rose; Richard Rudkin; Peter Ryan; Nicholas Salmond; Nick Sandford; Walter Sandys; Joyce Sandys; Brad Scott; Michael Shoesmith; Jill Shoesmith; Charlotte Simpson; Stephen Smith; Mark Smith; Richard Sonwden; Htomas Statter; Alan Sterling; Mitchell Sterling; Jodie Stocks; Jennifer Stone; Chris Sweeney; Stephen Tame; Neil Thompson; Mark Thompson; Henry Tinsley; John Tizard
CBC
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Elections Yukon gearing up for plebiscite on electoral reform
Social Sharing Yukon voters will be going back to the polls later this year, this time to elect a legislative assembly with more members than before. And voters will also be given a second ballot this year — about electoral reform. Elections Yukon plans to conduct a plebiscite to gauge public support for the current electoral system — first-past-the-post, where the candidate with the most votes in a riding is elected — or if there's support to change to a ranked-ballot system. The move follows a recommendation last year from a citizen's assembly of randomly selected Yukon residents who advised the territory to switch to a ranked-ballot system. Premier Ranj Pillai responded by announcing a territory-wide plebiscite on the issue. Maxwell Harvey, Yukon's chief electoral officer, said the plebiscite will ask voters a yes-or-no question about whether the territory should adopt a ranked-ballot system or stick with the status quo. The wording of the question will be determined by the government, with input from Elections Yukon, and is expected to be announced by early summer. "We will have an opportunity, Elections Yukon, to provide input into the question, to give any kind of advice, considerations that we believe the government should consider," Harvey said. "It's a non-binding plebiscite to the voters to express public opinion." Ranked-ballot systems can vary but in essence they mean that if no candidate in a riding gets at least 50 per cent of ballots cast, voters' second or even third choices would be used to ultimately determine the winner. But one electoral reform advocate says she's not happy about what she considers the plebiscite's narrow focus. Sally Wright, with Fair Vote Yukon, says proportional representation should also be on the ballot this fall. "What ranked vote doesn't have, and proportional representation does have, is you have two votes with proportional representation — one for the the candidate and one for the party," she said. "It detaches the candidate from the party so that voter has a better way to express themselves." She said she's hopeful Elections Yukon will reconsider adding proportional representation as an option. The Yukon Party said it thinks the whole thing is a waste of time. "While we respect the work of the Citizens' Assembly, the entire exercise consumed substantial resources and will continue to do so if it directs a change to the voting system," a party spokesperson said. "We feel that the time, money, and energy being devoted to this entire process would be better prioritized in addressing the many challenges facing Yukoners." A spokesperson for the Liberal government said it will take no position on the plebiscite. "Our stance has been that any potential change to our electoral system should be decided by Yukoners, not by whichever party is in power at the time," the spokesperson said. The NDP, which has traditionally been the biggest partisan backer of electoral reform, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Harvey said the plebiscite will be conducted in a way similar to the general election, and on the same day. When voters go to the polls, they'll be given two ballots — one to select their MLA, and one to vote on the plebiscite. Harvey said there will be additional support at polling stations, including plebiscite officers, on voting day. In the meantime, Harvey said, Elections Yukon will focus on ensuring that voters know about and understand the plebiscite, and have the information they need to make an informed choice. The territorial election — and therefore the plebiscite — is scheduled to happen on Nov. 3, but could be called earlier. The governing Liberals are currently in the midst of a leadership race to replace Premier Ranj Pillai, who is resigning. The party is scheduled to choose their next leader on June 1 9. Yukon's electoral map has also been redrawn since the last general election, with two new ridings in Whitehorse and some changes to existing districts. The changes were recommended by an independent commission and approved by MLAs last year. That means the next legislative assembly will have 21 members, up from the current 19.
Independent Singapore
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
SDP launches petition to reform Singapore's electoral system including abolishing GRC system
SINGAPORE: On Sunday (May 18), at an appreciation dinner for the members of the Singapore Democratic Party, SDP chief Chee Soon Juan announced the beginning of its 'Renew, Rebuild, Reignite' campaign, which includes seeking the reform of Singapore's electoral system. In the May 3 polls, SDP lost in all the constituencies where it fielded candidates, including Dr Chee at Sembawang West SMC and party chair Paul Tambyah at Bukit Panjang SMC. The results were a disappointment to both men. While Dr Chee's vote share was the highest in the four times he has run for Parliament, he still fell short of winning a seat. Dr Tambyah, meanwhile, lost 7.65 percentage points from when he first ran against the incumbent from the ruling People's Action Party, Liang Eng Hwa, in 2020. Nevertheless, the losses have not stopped the party from moving forward with its new campaign. On Sunday, SDP launched a petition on titled 'Reform Singapore's Electoral System' in order to reflect 'the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and democratic integrity.' It emphasised, however, that the six demands outlined in the petition are non-partisan but rather are 'foundational principles of good governance and democratic integrity.' 'Singapore is ready to take the next step forward in its political maturity by ensuring our elections are genuinely free and fair,' the petition adds. 6 Demands The petition's six demands are as follows. First, the SDP is calling for the Elections Department to be removed from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Next, the party is calling for an 'end to gerrymandering' through the reform of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC). Importantly, another call is for the abolition of the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) System, which The Workers' Party, Singapore's biggest opposition party and the only one that will be represented in the incoming Parliament, has also called for. SDP is also calling for a campaign period of a minimum of three weeks, whereas it normally lasts less than 10 days; as well as a minimum six-month time period between the announcement of boundary changes to electoral districts and the dissolution of Parliament. Finally, the party is calling for a review of the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (NPPA), which the SDP says would allow independent media. 'A free press is a cornerstone of any functioning democracy. A comprehensive review of the NPPA to permit the establishment of independent news companies is essential for fair coverage of elections, political education, and democratic participation,' the petition reads. Dr Tambyah was quoted as saying in a CNA report that the petition is just a beginning, one that could develop into legal challenges. He added the hope that SDP would be able to sustain its momentum. So far, almost 3,000 people have signed the petition. /TISG Read also: SDP calls for 'full and transparent investigation' into Su Haijin dinners with ministers
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
In the news today: PM meeting cabinet today; election reforms could remix regions
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Carney meeting with new cabinet today Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with his new cabinet this morning. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. on Parliament Hill. Carney shook up his cabinet Tuesday by moving some key players into new positions and promoting 24 new faces in a move meant to signal change at the top. While some members of his team were prominent figures in former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government — including Dominic LeBlanc, Mélanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland and François-Philippe Champagne — Carney froze out other prominent members of his predecessor's cabinet. Electoral reform could stop regional sweeps A change to Canada's electoral system would have delivered a very different House of Commons this year -- one without the monolithic regional strongholds held by both major federal parties -- according to an analysis for The Canadian Press. One seasoned political observer in Alberta says shattering those party fortresses could help take some of the steam out of efforts to ramp up separatist sentiment. Halifax-based MQO Research took poll-level results from last month's election and ran them through Brazil's proportional representation model, assigning seats in each province based on the popular vote. Under such a system — and according to the votes Canadians cast using the existing process — Alberta wouldn't be as solidly blue, Nova Scotia wouldn't be overwhelmingly red, and the NDP wouldn't be losing official party status in the House of Commons. Opioid rules harmed B.C. cancer patients: study Rule changes designed to reduce opioid overdose deaths in British Columbia in 2016 inadvertently harmed cancer and palliative-care patients by reducing their access to pain killers, a new study has found. The study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, describes the impact of a practice standard issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. that June, about two months after the province declared a public health emergency over opioid deaths. The rule changes were designed to mitigate prescription drug misuse, including the over-prescribing of opioids among patients with chronic non-cancer-related pain. The rules weren't meant for cancer and palliative-care patients, but lead author Dimitra Panagiotoglou said there was a "spillover" effect as doctors applied "aggressive tapering" of the painkillers. Hockey players' sexual assault trial continues A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team is expected to face more questions from prosecutors today. Defence lawyers finished cross-examining the woman Tuesday, and the Crown now has the opportunity to follow up on any topics raised in that process. This will be the woman's ninth day on the stand. She cannot be identified under a standard publication ban. Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. Emissions rise in Ontario's electricity system Ontario's electricity is now being produced with the highest percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power since coal plants were operating in the province. The Independent Electricity System Operator recently posted its 2024 year in review, which contains a breakdown of how much electricity was produced from various sources. It shows that last year 16 per cent of the electricity in Ontario's grid was produced by natural gas, making it 84 per cent emissions free – down from 87 per cent the year before and down from a high of 96 per cent in 2017. The last time Ontario's electricity was produced with at least 16 per cent of emitting power was in 2012, when the province still had coal-fired generation. Nuclear led the way in 2024, with 51 per cent of Ontario's electricity generated by those plants, and about 24 per cent came from hydro power. Cobie Smulders finally gets her superpowers in 'Super Team Canada' When Cobie Smulders began working on 'Super Team Canada' two years ago, she didn't expect the goofy cartoon to align so perfectly with the current political landscape. Billed as Crave's first adult animated series, the half-hour comedy follows six overlooked Canadian superheroes who are called into action after the world's top heroes are taken out. In the premiere, the U.S. president and other global leaders laugh at the Canadian prime minister's claim that his country has caped crusaders of its own. The plot now plays like a cheeky metaphor for Canada pushing back against U.S. economic attacks and '51st state' jabs from U.S. President Donald Trump. 'It is funny timing,' Vancouver-born Smulders says while in Toronto last week. 'For me, I've always had a very strong sense of Canadian pride in my life. I live in the United States right now, but my heart is still in Vancouver,' adds the L.A.-based actor. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2025 The Canadian Press
