Election Hangover

It was frustrating not to be allowed to vote in yesterday's elections. I missed out on elegibility by a year. It was even more frustrating to witness so many people throwing away their right to vote.

I agree that the electoral system leaves much to be desired. Britain's "first-past-the-post" electoral system means that to become an MP, a candidate doesn't need to win a majority of votes. He or she simply has to win more votes than any rival in their constituency.

Some of my friends refused to cast a vote for this very reason. And most of them will continue to abstain until a proportional representation system is instated.

I can't help but think that this is entirely counterproductive. Realistically speaking, no party is ever going to change the system by which it was elected. The wait for a proportional system will likely be a long one.



The question always remains: "what is the alternative?". I don't believe radical reform is possible in this day and age, lest it be induced by abrupt economic crisis, foreign invasion or unforeseen natural disasters. People nowadays tend to be too apathic, too fickle or too idealistic for any organised insurgence to succeed.

Truth be told, I have no workable alternative in mind. Other than to employ the system that is in place and use it to obtain the best option possible. Tactical voting is a good place to start. Vote swapping an even better one. It might not have caused a handover of power. But a 47 seat loss... is not a bad beginning.