Is our 2 party system just a con?

[pmccarthy]

I don't mind their views on the environment; it's a free world. I despise their politics on race and gender, particularly the antisemitisim.

[old man emu]

Statistics don't lie, but liars use statistics. 

 

Have you ever noticed that journalists aren't mathematicians? And they definittely are biased. They publish a statement like this: "Party A tops the poll as the most hated party, with 25.6 per cent of respondents reporting a strong dislike of the party compared to Party B at 24.2 per cent." That is clearly showing a bias in a number of ways. What were the valuse for people who disliked each of the other Parties in tne mix? I hate the Conservatives, but I know someone here hates Labor. How do our opinions affect the percentages? Also Party A might be the ideological opposite of Party B. That's got to affect the result.

 

As with all statement of that format, what does it tell us about the other 75% of respondents. It is comminsense to realise that their responses could range from slight dislike to absolutely adore. What if 70% of respondents's opinions ranged from "They're OK" to "God's gift to Humanity". The reported comparative responses would not mean much.