GameBanshee Forums

Originally posted by Obsidian
The funny thing about the "small parties can't do anything" is that it is so VERY untrue.

That's fine in some democratic systems--in several such, 5% vote support at the ballot box ensures parliamentary seats. But in the US, winner takes all, and losers can go sulk and complain. Only winning matters, and I think that skews the entire politcal process and makes it virtually impossible for new players (as in new political parties) to arrive on the scene and have an impact.

Originally posted by fable
That's fine in some democratic systems--in several such, 5% vote support at the ballot box ensures parliamentary seats. But in the US, winner takes all, and losers can go sulk and complain. Only winning matters, and I think that skews the entire politcal process and makes it virtually impossible for new players (as in new political parties) to arrive on the scene and have an impact.

The UK is a good example, the Liberal Democrats have been there for many many years and have never really had much in the way of power. They seem to support whoever is in power in all of their decisions.

It is like owning 3% share of a company. You can go to meetings, you can feel involved but when it comes down to it you can not effect what that company does with your 3%

Originally posted by Mr Sleep
It is like owning 3% share of a company. You can go to meetings, you can feel involved but when it comes down to it you can not effect what that company does with your 3%

That's exactly the way I feel about US politics. If you're in the center-to-far-right mainstream, you have 0% chance of making your vote count on the state or national level, and only slightly more of a chance in local politics. I am reminded of a surprisingly sharp jab from the normally suave and benign satirist, Robert Benchley: "And that makes about as much sense as living in a country where 51% of the people get to tell 49% of the people how everything is going to be run."

But when you get right down to it, it seems to me that much smaller increments should be represented, too, in a government, if a democracy is going to be truly democratic and not simply a plutocracy of industrialists and lawyers in disguise.

I realize this is a very minority opinion in the US, where we are taught from the cradle that two parties = perfect democracy. I respect those who disagree with me on this point, but see no possible reconciliation with the political system as it exists, and no possibility of it ever changing.

Originally posted by Mr Sleep


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It is like owning 3% share of a company. You can go to meetings, you can feel involved but when it comes down to it you can not effect what that company does with your 3%

Well in danish politics things can often be decided by the small party.
Last election in 1997/1998 2 votes from the Faero(damned can't spell them in english ) decided whom should be forming goverment. And after that for 4 years the party with real power had like 5-8% of the votes.
Now the party with powers have 15% of the votes.

So in some countries it is possible