Does Proportional Representation create political instability?
On the contrary, Proportional Representation would create more stable government. The “first past the post” system creates an illusion of stability that masks instability. The “first past the post” system allows one government, with only minority support in the country, to introduce controversial measures only to see them reversed by another government, also with only minority support in the country. That is hardly stability! Mrs Thatcher’s large majority in the Commons created the illusion of a mandate to introduce the notorious Poll Tax, although her majority was based on only a minority of votes. That mistake led eventually to her downfall. If the Thatcher Government had depended on minority party support, she could not have made that fatal mistake.
