oh no, the HICKS are going to run the province!

to the tyee's credit, they also published this article.  being the cantankerous little twit that i am, im commenting on this one instead.  the tyee is great for balanced reporting - theyve published pro-kyoto articles alongside praise for bjorn lomborg as well. 

the problem with bc-stv is that mathematics shows us it will lead to resounding right wing victories in rural bc while urban bc wont be able to counter that with a slate of pinkos because in our 7-member seats, it is inevitable that some conservative might be able to squeak in.  consequently, this invariably amounts to handing control of bc over to the "rural right" as the urban conservatives ensure a right-wing majority.

i have a few problems with this:
1. call me idealistic, but i strongly believe rural bc deserves more representation, no matter how right wing that representation may end up being (this is presuming hedy fry is wrong about that whole burning crosses thing, hee hee).  with all the hospital closures and other service cancellations, one could assume that rationally-acting* rural voters will desire representation that will restore social funding and other resource allocation.

2. rural conservatives, urban conservatives - how different are they?  is james moore as socially conservative as many of his rural counterparts?  do the lower mainland big business conservatives represent the same interest groups as rural conservatives?  lumping them together and presuming they will vote as a block doesnt sit well with me. (see this tyee article for a lovely explication of the role conservative ideology plays in rural bc)

3. is the lower mainland really an ndp stronghold?  yes, the left has its enclaves of support in east van, burnaby, etc, but the rest of the lower mainland is softly conservative (or staunchly if you consider the fraser valley).  let's not forget that a considerable proportion of the bc libs in power right now represent the lower mainland. 

4. they voted this guy and this gal in, didnt they?  ok, so the rest of rural bc sent conservatives to parliament.  the lower mainland had 3 ndp mps and a few liberals along with a fair dose of conservatives from the burbs.   given voting habits, is a regional left/right schism that real? heh, given bc history, can anyone really ever claim with even one iota of certainty that they can explain voter preferences in this province?

as harsh and unfair as my conclusion may seem, i believe this article's attempt to discredit bc-stv on the basis of petty regionalism (and math) is a bit unfounded.  if more vancouverites knew how unimpressed many rural voters are with the current government, perhaps they would not be so quick to dismiss rural bc as unanimously and comprehensively right-wing.  more importantly, this argument dissuades leftist people from accepting bc-stv on the basis that it will empower the dark side. 

apparently democratic reform isnt an aim in and of itself and ought to be pursued only when it is in your ideological self-interest.  hmm. 

* as a rule, lotusland does not endorse the use of rational actor models in political science because she prefers critical theory; however, like many critical theory aficionados, she concedes that truth claims and rules ought to be received skeptically and that one cannot arbitrarily declare that positivist methodology has no place in any examination of political behaviour.  consequently, she may, at times, accept pseudo-scientific behaviouralist methodology.  lotusland gently reminds her detractors (cough. sasha. cough)  that this invocation of the rational actor model may not be used as leverage in arguments regarding the superiority of positivist social science. 

Comments

[BZA]

Another interesting thing that has been overlooked in STV is the advantages it will provide to lefty voters in right-wing lower mainland strongholds.

Voting NDP,Green, or other in a Richmond-Delta super riding, North Shore, Abbosford-Chilliwack, or even Vancouver-West could allow for some victories that would never happen under SMP. Since the lower mainland as you pointed out is not the hippie urban paradise that is often imagined. Someone is Vancouver-Langra who is leftie need not feel shy about going to the voting booth in a ruling class riding.

And although rural BC usually votes conservative, there are some areas (Nelson, sunshine coast, Prince Rupert, parts of Kamloops, Prince George, Okanagan), that are not completely red in the neck.

Go positivist methodology, wooo! Except rational choice and game theory, boooo!

[Bernard]

The likely outcome of STV in rural BC is that we wlll end up with stronger rural advocates of a left and right bent.

Likely we will see a return of the populist rural MLA that has declined over the years. STV will work well for someone like Corky Evans.

By nature, rural BC is not as right wing as people think. Rural BC is mainly populist. Federally this meant the NDP suffered with the rise of the Reform party and now the new Conservatives lost a lot of vote to the NDP. The NDP was could have won 4-5 more rural ridings in BC if the party had seen the populist wind leave the CPC sails.

STV will serve rural BC even better than urban BC.

[ainge]

right on both of youse. intelligent comments on the blogosphere are a breath of fresh air. if i could get someone to intelligently bash stv, that would make it come full circle and make my day.

[Roy Roope]

If we let the STV referendum RARE opportunity to be directly involved in improving our future go by, I am personally going to scream at anybody who says they are frustrated with our politics or have defeatist attitudes about being able to do anything about things that aren't right.

BUT, our first initiative after having an STV system in place would be to encourage our MLA's, who now have some individual power and say in the legislative process, would be to continue the withdrawal of Canada from its colonial past and set up its own stronger national identity. British Columbia's first name was Caledonia, bestowed by its first non-aboriginal occupants, and thereafter was called 'The Colony of British Columbia' and later modified to just 'British Columbia'. Therefore, it is herewith moved that we revert back to our original name, Caledonia

[Joseph Roberts]

Get Clear
Support The Vote
STV
Vote Yes

I was a big fan of proportional representation more than STV but STV is way better than "more of the same" system in this province.

If we ever want the election process to become more democratic by definition it must change. STV is better than what we had or presently have. It may not be my favorite, it may not be the penultimate best politically correct system, but if we wait for perfection in BC politics we will be prograstinating our lifes away. So get over it, get clear that STV is much better than the status quo voting existing system, tell your friends about it , get out the vote and make a difference by voting in STV.

It is not going to be easy because the buggers have said 60% of all the vote are need AND 60% of all the riding must vote yes for it to carry the day. And the backroom boys will definately be trying to kill it because, to a degree, it give power back to the people that the power was stolen from, you and I.

STV give people more power and more democracy. Vote yes.