Proportional Representation (PR) may sound like a fair and equitable system on paper, but in the real world, it is a confounded mess.
It’s like one of those lovely-looking soufflés in a Michelin-starred restaurant; it rises in theory but collapses in practice.
And, as we have seen yet again with the latest German elections, PR has delivered its usual cocktail of deadlock, broken promises, and what will undoubtably be a weak government.
As Sir John Redwood rightly says:
“As often with PR systems no party wins in Germany. The parties now have to ditch Manifesto promises to try to form a government.”
No Real Winners, Just Endless Bargaining
In the United Kingdom, we understand that elections should be decisive. One party wins. One party governs. One party is accountable. But in PR systems, nobody wins—not really. What you get instead is a squabbling bunch of politicians trying to cobble together a coalition by ditching half of their manifesto before the ink has even dried on the ballot papers.
Germany, that great economic powerhouse, is now caught in a political quagmire. No party has won an outright majority, and so begins the torturous process of backroom dealing, coalition formation, and desperate compromises.
What does this mean? A slow, rudderless government. Germany, facing a perilous economic slowdown and a volatile geopolitical landscape, now stares into months of dithering while its political leaders haggle over who gets which cabinet post. Is this really what democracy should look like?
The ‘Compromise’ Government That Stifles Bold Action
Under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP), the government has a mandate. It can govern boldly, enact reforms, and be held accountable at the ballot box. But in PR systems, every policy is a watered-down version of what the public actually voted for. Voters elect parties based on their manifestos, but those manifestos are binned the moment coalition negotiations begin.
The biggest loser of the night, the SPD, still gets to stay in government—how’s that for democracy? The CDU/CSU now has to negotiate with them, the Greens have been shunted aside, and the AfD—despite making huge gains—sits in opposition. This is the hallmark of PR: an election that decides nothing and a government formed by politicians in secret meetings rather than the people at the ballot box.
Lessons from PR Systems Around the World
Need more proof? Look at the countries that use PR:
- Italy: Governments rise and fall like a Neapolitan pizza dough. Since World War II, Italy has had over 60 governments. How can anyone govern effectively with that level of instability?
- Israel: A PR system so fragmented that it has forced multiple elections in just a few years and coalitions that barely last a breath before collapsing.
- Belgium: Holds the record for the longest time to form a government—541 days—because PR elections didn’t produce a clear winner. That’s nearly two years without effective governance!
Do we really want Britain to go down this path? PR is a Reform UK manifesto but they must carefully consider the long-term consequences. Yes, it may seem deeply unfair that they secured more votes than the Lib Dems in the last General Election but ended up with far fewer seats. However, they must weigh this frustration against the bigger picture—the need for strong, decisive governance rather than endless coalition compromises.
Strong Governments Need Strong Mandates
The beauty of First-Past-The-Post is clarity and decisiveness. It provides a clear winner and allows a government to implement its vision without being shackled by endless coalition compromises. Yes, FPTP isn’t perfect—no system is—but it works, it produces stable governments, and it ensures that voters know exactly who to hold accountable when things go wrong.
Proportional Representation, by contrast, produces an endless circus where parties abandon their principles, governments are formed in smoke-filled rooms, and decisive leadership is an impossibility.
Germany’s latest election is just one more nail in the coffin of the PR illusion. It’s time we stop being seduced by theoretical fairness and start valuing the one thing that truly matters in governance—clarity, stability, and the ability to get things done.
As Elon Musk might say: “If something doesn’t work, fix it. If it still doesn’t work, scrap it.” Britain should do just that with any notion of adopting PR.
By Jack Lions.
