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No. What you would get is an assembly without a partisan majority, in which the libdems imagine being the perpetual swing group.

Except they are the 3rd party in a first past the post system because they gained the status of second party in enough electorates.

A multi-seat constituency system is going to tilt over time more toward the Greens being the balance of power, as in the Ozzie Senate ~ indeed, the Ozzie Dems were the balance of power for a while, but in making a deal with the Conservative Coalition (Libs and Nats) on a VAT, they relegated themselves to irrelevancy.

It would be a small bit poignant if the Lib Dems got the House of Lords reform through as their last gasp before their already existing coalition with the Tories knocked them down in a similar way. The poignancy would be substantially tempered by the fact that the idiotic gits had it coming for being foolish enough to strike the deal.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sat Jun 30th, 2012 at 03:19:45 PM EST
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It is unlikely, with the proposals as they are, that a single party or group will have the balance of power between Labour and Conservative members in the reformed House.

I suspect that the cross-benchers would be the third largest group.

The Liberal Democrats have been weakened by participation in the coalition, but they remain the third largest party and I see no likelihood that they will lose that position or not be the 4th largest group in the House of Lords.

by Gary J on Sat Jun 30th, 2012 at 08:26:24 PM EST
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The House of Lords is not as powerful a House of Review as the Australian Senate, so it may not be as big a driver of 3rd party dynamics ~ but the position of a 3rd party relying primarily on standing in first past the post constituencies will always be brittle.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sun Jul 1st, 2012 at 02:31:01 PM EST
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