The Senedd in Cardiff has undergone something of an electoral renovation in recent years, with a series of reforms introduced to expand its size (from 60 to 96 members) and an overhaul to the manner in which they are elected. Previously, the Welsh parliament was elected in a similar way to Holyrood — a mixture of constituency and regional seats, first-past-the-post and proportional representation. May’s Senedd elections mark the first election where 96 MSs will be chosen via a party-list system in 16 larger constituencies. You vote for one party (not one candidate), and the number of seats they get is dependent upon the proportion of votes received in your area.
We should meet with some trepidation the prospect of dissolving constituency politicians in the Senedd. In a time where research points to a ‘crisis in trust’ in UK politics, the ability to talk about a problem to an elected representative, who can then deal with that problem, is a dynamic that should be savoured both in Westminster and regional assemblies. Wales isn’t facing the abandonment of local representatives altogether, but the new system marks an increasing separation between voter and representative, which shouldn’t go without comment.
Beyond that trouble, however, these are pretty sensible reforms. Advocates of the new system point to the fact that Wales has had 60 MSs since devolution, but the Senedd has since taken on many more powers, so it needs a larger assembly to successfully do its job. And any move to make election results more representative of the vote share is resoundingly fair. For all my misgivings about the effects of diminishing constituency politicians’ presence on trust, getting a result that reflects what you wanted, and the people you elect being able to do their job, is sure to breed some faith in the system.
Meanwhile, there’s a rumbling for proportional representation throughout Britain, and now three of the UK-wide parties have made positive noises (the Liberal Democrats have long supported it, Zack Polanski is very keen, and Nigel Farage has in the past spoken in favour). The enduring dynamic in the electoral system debate is as follows: Is it worth sacrificing stability for representation?
Now we have a laboratory in which we can find out. Wales is all in on proportional representation; if it works, fantastic, and if it doesn’t, let that be a warning to all advocates of the system across the UK. We should follow the Senedd’s machinations over the next few years very carefully, as it may be a weather vane for the future state of things throughout Britain. At least we’ll know where we’re headed. Diolch yn fawr iawn, Cardiff.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
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Senedd reforms: A test run for proportional representation?
The Senedd in Cardiff has undergone something of an electoral renovation in recent years, with a series of reforms introduced to expand its size (from 60 to 96 members) and an overhaul to the manner in which they are elected. Previously, the Welsh parliament was elected in a similar way to Holyrood — a mixture of constituency and regional seats, first-past-the-post and proportional representation. May’s Senedd elections mark the first election where 96 MSs will be chosen via a party-list system in 16 larger constituencies. You vote for one party (not one candidate), and the number of seats they get is dependent upon the proportion of votes received in your area.
We should meet with some trepidation the prospect of dissolving constituency politicians in the Senedd. In a time where research points to a ‘crisis in trust’ in UK politics, the ability to talk about a problem to an elected representative, who can then deal with that problem, is a dynamic that should be savoured both in Westminster and regional assemblies. Wales isn’t facing the abandonment of local representatives altogether, but the new system marks an increasing separation between voter and representative, which shouldn’t go without comment.
Beyond that trouble, however, these are pretty sensible reforms. Advocates of the new system point to the fact that Wales has had 60 MSs since devolution, but the Senedd has since taken on many more powers, so it needs a larger assembly to successfully do its job. And any move to make election results more representative of the vote share is resoundingly fair. For all my misgivings about the effects of diminishing constituency politicians’ presence on trust, getting a result that reflects what you wanted, and the people you elect being able to do their job, is sure to breed some faith in the system.
Meanwhile, there’s a rumbling for proportional representation throughout Britain, and now three of the UK-wide parties have made positive noises (the Liberal Democrats have long supported it, Zack Polanski is very keen, and Nigel Farage has in the past spoken in favour). The enduring dynamic in the electoral system debate is as follows: Is it worth sacrificing stability for representation?
Now we have a laboratory in which we can find out. Wales is all in on proportional representation; if it works, fantastic, and if it doesn’t, let that be a warning to all advocates of the system across the UK. We should follow the Senedd’s machinations over the next few years very carefully, as it may be a weather vane for the future state of things throughout Britain. At least we’ll know where we’re headed. Diolch yn fawr iawn, Cardiff.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
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