Friday, April 24, 2009

Second Best

Second Best, that's what we get when we fiddle with the election system.

After the fifth count using the wishy-washy sandals and cardigan voting system(STV) at the Aboyne, Deeside and Donside By-Election and despite beating her opponent by over 170 votes in a "normal" first past the post vote Jo Pick came second to Rosemary Bruce.

So instead of getting the best candidate we have now elected a councillor who is on more peoples second most OK person list. This voting system is of course a Lib Dem preference and now we see why. Anything that can produce this sort of result is surely a travesty of true democracy.

Unfortunately for us, accepting second best, has become what we expect in this nation.

I do hope that Rosemary can juggle her family life, Office Manager job (As hubbies 30k Diary Secretary) and the work of a Councillor,, or will being a Councillor be second best to helping her hubbie.

Call me a sore Scottish Tory but this sort of result is a joke. Second Best democracy at work. Maybe Dr David Starkey had a point when he called us a

"Feeble little nation. The Scots and the Welsh are typical small nations with a romantic 19th century-style nationalism."
Full result here. Makes interesting reading. Note the lack of any Labour candidates, even the BNP put up a candidate.

Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside by-election result announced - Donside Today

3 comments:

Grogipher said...

I don't understand how you can connect the use of a proportional system with that of being a feeble nation? Are you that much of a Tory that you will defend any other Conservative, even if he is deriding your nation?

No electoral system is perfect, it is true. But to suggest the First Past the Post is a 'true democracy' is frankly, amusing.

Fitaloon said...

The problem is that your SNP outlook colours your thoughts on how others will view Scotland. If we insist on commending to people "second best" then we will be looked on as feeble. This is the sort of attitude that brings along with it second nation status. We need the best not the ones who are least contentius and quite liked by people. You gain little in life by always coming in second.

Fitaloon said...

Also just to right the notion that MR Starkey is a card carrying Tory, this from the Indepenedent He has, though, voted for every political party at some stage, and can now best be described as an independent-minded Conservative.