POL214Y5 Chapter SUMMARY: Readings summary
Document Summary
Cairns: fptp failed to manufacture a majority and create a strong opposition (1/3 seats) 71% of the time between 1921-1965, amplifies seats for parties with more votes, decreases number of seats for those with. 17 with less than half the amount of popular vote fewer votes: 1935 election: reconstruction party got 1 seat with 8. 7%, social credit party got promotes regional cleavages. While people claim that the party system creates a (cid:498)nationalizing agency(cid:499), it actually (cid:498)the diffuse poverty of the generally underprivileged has scarcely been noticed. (cid:499) According to cairns, pr tends to strengthen national unity/uniformity: for example, a party will not bother putting effort into regions where they know support is diffused. Political elites and media very rarely draw attention to these outcomes. The outcomes generated by fptp are (cid:498)perverse(cid:499) and (cid:498)contrary to common-sense notions of fairness and justice(cid:499: people do vote for these parties, but that doesn"t mean that they want to.
