On the Matt Goodwin argument about elites, one thing I think that makes our situation worse is that it’s hard to either get rid of them or vote in a party/parties that will change things. Since the 2008 Financial Crisis, much of the political class in many European countries has been devastated (France, Netherlands and Italy) radically changed its views (Denmark and Sweden) or in some cases, thrown out entirely (Greece). Most of these countries use some form of Proportional Representation where people can simultaneously vote in parties to upend the system and vote out parties that have failed them.
In Britain with First Past the Post, we have no chance of achieving this and so muddle from crisis to crisis with the same sort of leaders who hold the same sort of opinions getting the same results as the last time, and the 17 times before that to paraphrase Blackadder. The only genuine occasion in recent years (in England in particular) where this didn’t happen was the 2016 referendum which went decisively against those who govern us. In that vote, everyone’s vote counted. Until we introduce PR in one form or another, nothing will change.
On the Matt Goodwin argument about elites, one thing I think that makes our situation worse is that it’s hard to either get rid of them or vote in a party/parties that will change things. Since the 2008 Financial Crisis, much of the political class in many European countries has been devastated (France, Netherlands and Italy) radically changed its views (Denmark and Sweden) or in some cases, thrown out entirely (Greece). Most of these countries use some form of Proportional Representation where people can simultaneously vote in parties to upend the system and vote out parties that have failed them.
In Britain with First Past the Post, we have no chance of achieving this and so muddle from crisis to crisis with the same sort of leaders who hold the same sort of opinions getting the same results as the last time, and the 17 times before that to paraphrase Blackadder. The only genuine occasion in recent years (in England in particular) where this didn’t happen was the 2016 referendum which went decisively against those who govern us. In that vote, everyone’s vote counted. Until we introduce PR in one form or another, nothing will change.