The Electoral Reform Geek Drinking Game
Electoral reform is in the air, and so of course there is much talk of Additional Member Systems, Alternative Vote, Alternative Vote Plus, Single Transferable Vote, d'Hondt, Baby Stoat Wrangling and numerous other systems of vote-counting that go by confusingly different names but are essentially the same as those but with subtle differences that seem to matter deeply to the vanishingly - and perhaps tragically - tiny group of people who both understand properly and still care.
The responsible citizen will familiarise themselves with all of these systems, and their various advantages and disadvantages, theoretical, practical and empirical, before forming their own view of their likely impact in the UK as contrasted with the existing system for Westminster elections and advising their newly-minted MP accordingly.
Stuff that.
I propose being irresponsible* citizens, and invite you all instead to play with me:
The Electoral Reform Geek** Drinking Game!
You don't have to understand what people are saying. Let's be honest, almost none of the people spouting off on the radio, telly and the office Naughty Step do either. All you have to do to play is to react whenever a key word is mentioned and award yourself your favourite tipple accordingly.
Here's the scoring:
The winner is the first person to pass out or pass an Electoral Reform Act.
The great thing about this is that the longer this business goes on, the drunker we all get. Which might at least give us a real hangover to go with the metaphorical one that's on its way whoever forms a Government.
* Not too irresponsible. Tally up your sips until it's safe to drink. Otherwise you risk getting trollied while driving home listening to PM.
** 'Geek' intended here as an affectionate, largely-positive denotation of someone with a particular and deep understanding of a technical matter. Search and replace with your favoured term if it doesn't work for you.
(The Electoral Reform Geek Drinking Game is number two in an occasional series of Spurious Current Affairs Non-Games. The first was Trivial Earthquake Conversation Cliche Cricket back in 2008. I hope for all our sakes it's at least as long before I do the next one.)
The responsible citizen will familiarise themselves with all of these systems, and their various advantages and disadvantages, theoretical, practical and empirical, before forming their own view of their likely impact in the UK as contrasted with the existing system for Westminster elections and advising their newly-minted MP accordingly.
Stuff that.
I propose being irresponsible* citizens, and invite you all instead to play with me:
The Electoral Reform Geek** Drinking Game!
You don't have to understand what people are saying. Let's be honest, almost none of the people spouting off on the radio, telly and the office Naughty Step do either. All you have to do to play is to react whenever a key word is mentioned and award yourself your favourite tipple accordingly.
Here's the scoring:
- Any time someone mentions Condorcet, whether as a method, criterion, or winner, you get a sip. If they mention the Marquis himself, you get to drain the glass.
- Any time someone mentionsArrow's Impossibility Theorem, you get a sip. If they mention social choice theory more broadly, you get a glass-draining.
- If you spot someone invoking the idea behind Condorcet or Arrow's Impossibility Theorem without naming them, award yourself a sip. And award anyone else in the room at the time a glass-draining for being in the presence of a likely Electoral Reform Geek.
- If you spot someone successfully and relevantly to the conversation distinguishing between the Smith set, the Schwartz set, and the Condorcet winner, award them at least two glass-drainings immediately to prevent them spending the next two weeks hunched over a computer in a darkened room running simulated elections.
The winner is the first person to pass out or pass an Electoral Reform Act.
The great thing about this is that the longer this business goes on, the drunker we all get. Which might at least give us a real hangover to go with the metaphorical one that's on its way whoever forms a Government.
* Not too irresponsible. Tally up your sips until it's safe to drink. Otherwise you risk getting trollied while driving home listening to PM.
** 'Geek' intended here as an affectionate, largely-positive denotation of someone with a particular and deep understanding of a technical matter. Search and replace with your favoured term if it doesn't work for you.
(The Electoral Reform Geek Drinking Game is number two in an occasional series of Spurious Current Affairs Non-Games. The first was Trivial Earthquake Conversation Cliche Cricket back in 2008. I hope for all our sakes it's at least as long before I do the next one.)