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FaRmLaNd on 03 November 2010
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Kasz216 said:

Heck, you don't even need to stay in the party that elected you in the US.

I'm assuming someone in the UK can't just say "I was elected as labor, but I'm going to be a Tory now!'


In the US... you can and MANY do switch from Republican to Democrat or vice versa at the drop of a hat.


Theoretically if you had a third party group (Like say the tea party) capture like 5-10 senate spots or 20-30 representative positions such a thing could happen but our third parties are never remotely that strong.  Well not since like the 1800s.


If there was one thing both major parties could agree with... it was laws to restirct third parties from ever having a shot.

Thats correct in a sense. In the aussie version of the westminster system we do not vote for the prime-minister, we vote for a person in our constituency. They may be a member of whatever party or none at all. The Prime-Minister is essentially the leader of the party that can form government. Which naturally flows into the point that no you can't just say I'm a liberal (if you were voted in by labor). You could leave the party, but that would mean the party would elect a new leader and he/she would become the PM (aslong as they still had the numbers in the lower house to form government). But thats slightly off the point. Yes people can change parties. Its happened before. I'm not certain if they need to have a new election in the area if they leave though. I'd have to look it up.