BC STV Debate

Debate between Bill Tieleman of NoSTV.org and Antony Hodgson of BC STV on April 1, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia. This event was sponsored by the Committee of Progressive Electors (COPE) and moderated by Alvin Singh.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• STV
• COPE
• Vancouver
• British Columbia
• democracy
• politics
• elections

[Thunderthor1988]

this is the worst system. Holyshit! kick these STV idiots out of Canada sent them to Bolshevik Cuba.

[pumpkinheadbc]

Thank you for demonstrating the "democratic" mindset of those that support the present system. Your eloquence speaks so much in support of STV.

[heron9991]

Excellent video! BC-STV is soooo much better than the current system. If we vote against it, we could be stuck with the current system for decades. If we vote for STV, we get a better system for 3 election and then the Citizens' Assembly recommended that we be allowed to re-evaluate. Then we can switch to Mix-Member Proportional if needed. MMP would make it harder for independents to get in than under STV, but it is more proportional than the current system. I think STV is the best sytem.

[vorshlumpf]

Well done, Antony. Impressive performance at this debate.

Vote BC-STV!

[Walabio]

Zeroth things zerothly, we want proportionality and we want politicians accountable to those in their districts. These are mutually exclusive. What we should do is have an House of District-Representatives and a separate House of Proportional Representation.

Next, STV is not the best system for proportional representation. The Mathematician Lewis Carol created a better system call Asset Voting over an hundred years ago, YouTube does not allow links, so search these words:

asset voting

[cyclingzealot]

Its easy to criticize an alternative electoral system while not comparing with the current electoral system.

Can you really defend the current electoral system, the same one that wasted 51% of all votes in the 2008 federal election?

[netty888]

Maybe I'm bias as I am against STV, I found Bill did a good job focusing on facts and real problems and Antony simply danced around. E.g., comparing Northern Ireland with BC (while he should have been comparing NI with NI and BC with BC), confusing knowing how to count with understanding the system, making claims on STV and current system without supporting facts and numbers.

[cassman1759]

You seem so educated.

[dustinhem]

Thank you for posting this.

There is not enough discussion on this crucial topic! In my own experience, very few people are aware of this issue at all, let alone have an opinion on it.

[JonathanSwifty]

Hey BC, why are you so discriminating? Why don't you let entire population of the province to elect every single member of the government? Just go nuts, give away ballots with thousands of names on it and voters get to choose! It ain't that hard, just pick 79 people of your first choice, then 79 as your second etc. up to 79 as your 79th choice. That would definately be fair, from then on you're a step away from direct democracy! Wheepeeee!

[HCherns]

Tielman is dead wrong on the chance that STV gives independent candidates: STV allows independents to find support in a wider electorate, not just in a narrow geographic area.

[jwlnler]

I like this back-and-forth debate.... I just wish Newfoundland and Labrador would have a "Citizen's Assembly" on Electoral Reform in my home province