Problem: some parties have widespread support, but it’s not concentrated enough to get them over the line in any one constituency. If, by chance, they do get over the bar in one seat and get an MP, that MP is then representing not only their own constituents but also the interests of all their party’s supporters across the country. These are two very different – possibly conflicting – responsibilities, and there is a danger that an MP who wields a million votes will use them to give an unfair advantage to their own constituents, or will sell them to the highest bidder.
Response: Every MP has a dual role – representing her constituents, whether they voted for her or not, and (along with her parliamentary colleagues) representing the interests of all her party’s voters, whether they returned an MP of that party or not. The problem here is real. It’s just that, when this duality is condensed into one person, the conflict isn’t different in kind, it’s just more obvious.
As long as we require MPs (whom we elect to represent their constituents) to also represent their party, this conflict is inherent in the system. Right now, that conflict is used as an excuse to disempower supporters of thinly-spread parties - we tell them that, if they can't get an MP, they don't deserve a voice. That’s what PR is meant to cure. The conflict still exists, we just have to push it onto a different aspect of the system – in this case, the conflict of interest inherent in the MP-Constituency link.
As for the risk of corruption; yes, this is a real possibility, and it’s easier (and cheaper) for a lobbyist to buy one MP with a million votes than three Liberal Democrats, twenty-five Labour or thirty-nine of the fifty-six Scottish Nationalists. This will require laws on honesty and transparency to be passed and enforced, and not just on MPs but on journalists. But the MPs of the larger parties will have every incentive to keep the smaller parties honest, until we can choose a way to dilute the influence of over-powerful MPs.
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