In the period between World War I and World War II, as people grappled with economic uncertainty, political divisions, and growing populism, 15 European democracies fell into dictatorships: Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Albania, Poland, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Romania, Germany, Austria, Estonia, Latvia and Greece.
These dictators came from all over the political spectrum but they used the same tool to rise to power: proportional representation. As pointed out in The Toronto Star: “No democracy that used first-past-the-post fell to dictatorship during the period.”
These extremists used the flaws of the prop rep system – too many parties, too little leadership – to pressure and eventually overtake mainstream political parties. And given today’s political environment of economic uncertainty, political divisions, and growing populism, there’s nothing to say it couldn’t happen again.
Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it!
Yet another reason to Stop Prop Rep! www.icba.ca/stopproprep
Pass this post on to your friends and family – David Eby’s draconian, anti-free speech rules won’t allow us to advertise it, but individuals can spread it as much as they like. Let’s make sure every British Columbian sees it.Â
And stay tuned for more “Tales of Prop Rep Horror”…
Tales of Prop Rep Horror #6 – “Indonesian Indecency”
Tales of Prop Rep Horror #5 – “Beware the Greeks!”
Tales of Prop Rep Horror #4 – “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! NO! NO! NO!”
Tales of Prop Rep Horror #3 – “From Russia With Blood”
Tales of Prop Rep Horror #2 – “The Pain in Spain”
Tales of Prop Rep Horror #1 – “The Puzzle of Brussels”
