How often can one introduce a speaker related to both Thomas Jefferson and Pocahontas?! We were hugely fortunate in this Special US election session, to have a talk from Georgina Greenough (our Programme Director at the Socratic Club) on her links to the Founding Fathers of the USA and remarkable US personalities, and interwoven with that, a discussion on the background to the forthcoming US Presidential Election and the system in use.
The session took in a discussion of the Electoral College System, whether the popular vote should be used? The main two political parties – Democrat and Republican, and the similarities/differences between the US and UK democratic systems.
In our debating and voting section we asked:
Should the Presidential election be decided by the popular vote, or the electoral college system? 77% voted for the popular vote. There was a strong feeling that the electoral college if retained, required updating.
Should we (the UK and wider world) have a say on the US Presidential election given the implications for our security and economy? 55% voted in favour of the motion – arguing that our economic livelihoods depended on the US in addition to NATO commitments. It was put that a small % share might be taken from allies of the US towards the overall result. At the same time, many felt that such an idea risked accusations of electoral interference.
We reflected on the extraordinary levels of campaign spending on elections in the US in contrast to the UK, and whether presidential terms should be longer or shorter?
32% voted for the current system; 42% for 5 or more years; and 26% for less than 4 years.
Contributions from the floor were extremely impressive throughout and we could easily have run on for another hour!
Well done all and let us see how the race to the Whitehouse pans out this week.
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