Juan Vogel
Well-known member
Just a thought that came to me over the weekend for some minor PODs
Specifically:
1. The London Assembly/Mayoral electoral systems.
I recall @Lord Roem mentioning some annecdote or something from LSE about his lecturer saying they made up one of the systems en route to No 10 (or the minister's office.
So what if the Mayorality ended up with something different, like either proper ranked choice or indeed FPTP?
Either option would have significantly changed OTL - butterflying Ken if FPTP, or perhaps not if ranked choice.
Following that, the Assembly with its MMP like system. What if it ended up as per FPTP constituencies? Or Pure List. Or ranked choice/STV?
Probably wouldn't have made a huge difference but I could imagine that in the 1st/2nd term the composition would have been more LD/Green/BNP friendly. Which might help all three build out their party structures across London.
2. European Elections
Regional List PR was introduced in 2019 replacing FPTP constituencies. Were there any other options that almost made it? I could imagine adopting ranked choice but keeping the constituencies might have been viable. Or perhaps take make bigger constituencies of 5-6 MEPs but with Irish STV?
Big difference here as it probably hinders Farage style UKIP growth to some degree. Doesn't properly disrupt UKIP but I would imagine would stop it getting quite so many MEPs.
3. Wales or Scotland
Wales is moving towards STV but what if either had ended up with this in the first place? Could imagine that would change quite a lot of things and probably makes wider UK electoral reform more likely if NI, Wales, Scotland (and perhaps London) all end up with STV.
4. England Local Government
Let's assume England adopts the new Welsh model of optional electoral reform (but in practice very hard)/ or the NZ system, sometime in the late 90s/early 00s. Very few councils would end up changing but what if some of the bigger ones did anyway?
Specifically:
1. The London Assembly/Mayoral electoral systems.
I recall @Lord Roem mentioning some annecdote or something from LSE about his lecturer saying they made up one of the systems en route to No 10 (or the minister's office.
So what if the Mayorality ended up with something different, like either proper ranked choice or indeed FPTP?
Either option would have significantly changed OTL - butterflying Ken if FPTP, or perhaps not if ranked choice.
Following that, the Assembly with its MMP like system. What if it ended up as per FPTP constituencies? Or Pure List. Or ranked choice/STV?
Probably wouldn't have made a huge difference but I could imagine that in the 1st/2nd term the composition would have been more LD/Green/BNP friendly. Which might help all three build out their party structures across London.
2. European Elections
Regional List PR was introduced in 2019 replacing FPTP constituencies. Were there any other options that almost made it? I could imagine adopting ranked choice but keeping the constituencies might have been viable. Or perhaps take make bigger constituencies of 5-6 MEPs but with Irish STV?
Big difference here as it probably hinders Farage style UKIP growth to some degree. Doesn't properly disrupt UKIP but I would imagine would stop it getting quite so many MEPs.
3. Wales or Scotland
Wales is moving towards STV but what if either had ended up with this in the first place? Could imagine that would change quite a lot of things and probably makes wider UK electoral reform more likely if NI, Wales, Scotland (and perhaps London) all end up with STV.
4. England Local Government
Let's assume England adopts the new Welsh model of optional electoral reform (but in practice very hard)/ or the NZ system, sometime in the late 90s/early 00s. Very few councils would end up changing but what if some of the bigger ones did anyway?