Norwegians can stop laughing at the US voting system. In Oslo the various parties on the left got 46 more votes than the parties on the right, but because the council stopped using the d’Hondts method of calculating representatives and have switched to the St Lag¸es modified method, which favourises smaller parties, the right have 30 representatives against 29 from the left.
I still believe in voting, but democracy is hardly an exact discipline.
HÂkon Styri
“Norwegians can stop laughing at the US voting system.”
Somehow , I still simper.
Jill
Oh dear.
James Bjerkholt
Michael Moore details (in “Stupid White Men”) dubious voting practices in Florida, and in particular that of “scrub-lists” in a fashion that make them sound so outrageous as to almost seem unreal. Depressingly, this article removed the reality distortion field.
Eirik
The Oslo result had a bitter aftertaste, to be sure. At least the Conservative Head Councillor can stop saying that the people of Oslo gave him a vote of confidence… On the other hand, we – like most other democracies – have other means to (supposedly) distribute power more evenly. For instance, votes from Northern Norway count for more than votes from Oslo. As the left has usually been stronger up north than here, I would think that total effect is less unfair than in Florida, for instance.
Reid
I don’t think we should stop laughing of the American voting system, I think we should just start to laugh of our own as well. When enough people laugh of their (…and other’s..) voting system, perhaps the serious grey men will start to laugh with us in the spirit of democracy-euphoria. Just a dream, I know.
non-voter
Well, I shall not say “What did I say?”, since I am only a _stupid_ non-voter who ruins democracy…
Norman
As far back as Socrates, less emotive thinkers were aware of the problems associated with the difficulties associated with democracy ever having a commonly shared, and meaningful definition. Socrates recognised the problem, which is why he was asked to drink hemlock.