PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 14729, 6 August 1921, Page 4

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

' Mr. Asquith, who is a recent convert to proportional representation, made his first speech in support in London, at the end of May, He pointed. to three dangers of the existing system. A Parliament whose majority' was much greater than its representative authority was much more apt to be at the disposal of the will of the .Executive of the day than if it truly reflected the opinions of the people. Ah autocratic and oligarchic executive was* a bad thing, but a much worse thing was an executive which wore the mantle of democracy, but really used autocratic methods. Secondly, a -House. of Commons which is practically supreme in its law r makmg power, and practically impotent as a check upon the executive installed in power for three, or five, years, would lead to increasing and-legitimate distrust on the part of large classes. of the people. Thirdly, the present system of relatively small constituencies returning two .or three members resulted'in fhqre being. large areas'.in which, without proportional, representation, the - predominance.-of a ' local majority, was ! So great .arid, well organised that those 1 -, who 'did not belong to it-gave u]p what, they regarded as the .game 'oA polities' ’as hopeless, and sank inf"--apathy, 1 -arid neglected

politics alti- .liter.''"''