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The morning after pill: Electoral reform

First the news, then the analysis/comment:

Israel’s National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu political grouping will vote tonight on whether to join the Sharon government. The hawkish faction said it is prepared to consider the move, after Labor quit the coalition yesterday.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to meet recently retired Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz to possibly offer him the defense portfolio.

At least four names are being mentioned in connection with the vacancy for Foreign Minister: former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Sylvan Shalom, Education Minister Limor Livnat and Justice Minister Meir Shitreet.

Sharon asked Labor member Shimon Peres to stay on as foreign minister but he declined. It is being reported that Sharon has since asked Peres to become a super-ambassador with a free hand to deal with diplomatic issues.

It is still unclear whether Sharon will decide to hand out the portfolios in the next few days or prefer to wait to see the outcome of the Labor leadership election on November 19. If incumbent party head Binyamin Ben-Eliezer retains his position, Sharon may ask him to lead Labor back into the government.

Okay, now to the fun stuff:

They say a week is a long time in politics. Here in Israel 24 hours is an eternity.

Even as this masterpiece is being written no doubt there are dozens of closed meetings, whispering sessions and general merrymakings in Jerusalem’s halls of power, with deals and counter-deals the order of the day.

The bottom line of all these shenanigans is nothing but political greed. The age of the caring politician is sadly not upon us, in Israel at least.

This entire silly saga, which would be laughable if it did not affect the very existence of average Israeli folk, has come about, like all the others before it, because of the cretinous electoral system.

There is no accountability in Israeli national politics. Owing to the voting system, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen of Ashdod cannot go to their regional representative in the Knesset and lobby him or her, because, quite simply, him or her does not exist. There is no local representation in the Knesset. There are just national lists. That equates to an American citizen voting for a piece of paper containing the names of 50 Democrat would-be Senators or another with 50 Republicans. That in turn means each individual senator would have no constituency, and could largely spend his/her time unchallenged on Capitol Hill.

And that is the reality in Israel.

The Cohens of Ashdod vote Labor, Likud or for any other party from a dazzling choice and then have no one to turn to when they want to lobby.

It sucks. It needs changing. But why should serving politicians turn their back on a system that lets them party-on without fear of facing electoral defeat from the punters back home?