The very fact that a marginal party such as the Greens considers it worthwhile to buy two full pages (Sept. 22) in the sa国际传媒 to advance its position with respect to the upcoming referendum on proportional representation should raise a red flag.
That this concern is fully justified is made abundantly clear by the astonishing statement contained on the second page of the advertisement: 鈥淭he power of each political party is limited to their overall election results.鈥�
While this might perhaps be true for the major parties, it is certainly not true for fringe and special interest parties.
One has only to look at the sitting legislature and the hugely disproportionate influence of the Green Party. In fact, the bellicose behaviour of leader Andrew Weaver and his cohorts makes a compelling argument against proportional representation.
While all voting systems have their weaknesses, a compelling question is: 鈥淒o we want a system of government where fringe parties dictate overall policy?鈥�
The existing system has served us well for many years, and we should be very slow to ditch it for one in which special-interest groups have a very real chance of running the province.
John Sutherland
Victoria
