https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Japanese_general_election

 

(I find Japanese politics a very interesting case-study given its rather unique voting pattern)

 

The results have just come in for this year's exercise in propping up Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, Japan's right-wing party, which has been in power since 1955 for all but 4 years in the interim. At least they have a slightly reduced majority and the centre-left opposition seems to have slightly got their shit together after completely imploding and going through a couple of name changes following their brief 3-year stint in power about a decade ago but, as expected, no big changes over in Japan.

 

It is quite an insane run, but question/debate: is it effective democracy for one party to be in power so long?

Well you could argue that it's unhealthy, but we've had pretty much the same types of neoliberal government in power here since 1979 (with slight variations) in the UK despite the political parties having different names and in America it's fairly difficult to find much difference sometimes between the two major parties that also dominate indefinitely and are unlikely to ever be ousted- so at least it isn't pretending to offer variety. I assume after a while it becomes a bit like Stockholm Syndrome and there is a incumbency bias that ensures continuation. Maybe that means that the governing party feels more able do more less popular but essential things and that is a good thing?

 

Personally I'm for coalitions (of chaos!) although the Lib-Con one of 2010-15 was absolutely shocking.

 

PS- I do love the idea of the Party to Protect the People from NHK - and the fact that NHK had to dedicate broadcast time to them..

Theres plenty of examples like this in democratic countries. Look how long the CDU has ruled post-War Germany as an example.

 

Im not sure that changing direction every election is a sign of a healthy democracy either. If a government still has support of the people then it’s no bad thing to me to have some stability if that’s what the people want. But I believe it should be coupled with a proper form of PR so you have representative election results and coalitions that mean the gov genuinely represents the direction of 50% of the population

Good points, especially if it does allow the ruling party to do necessary things. The LDP are far from ideal (many recent Japanese PMs, particularly Abe, have been part of Nippon Kaigi, a subgroup that in one line, wants to reform the Empire), but they figured out being political chameleons far quicker than the Tories did and I always get the sense that at least part of their support comes from a desire for stability.

 

I guess the main advantage I think you get with constantly swapping parties (like in America, chiefly) is that there isn't one automatic power structure that politicians work themselves up through and politicians have to work to convince voters of their positions. With something like Japan's situation, and you can see this in their polls where 'no party' always far outstrips every party aside from the LDP and sometimes even them, it allows the apathy to set in and very little opportunity for change. So then ideally options for coalitions would be better but in many cases like this, the ruling party already has a majority and doesn't need it.

 

(and yes, Japan's minor parties are great, a communist party that is basically a dem-soc one now but still gets to claim being one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world, I also like the idea of Reiwa Shinsengumi, some proper left-wing populism with a name referencing a 19th century special military force (probably for the cool factor, the Shinsengumi are huge in Japan's popular culture, but it is like if one of our parties were called 'Modern Superheroes' or something like that).

 

I wonder how a similar 'Protect the People From The BBC' party would work, it seems like such a similar issue to the payment of the license fee over in the UK with enough people seemingly fed up of paying it)

Japanese politics are not very ideological, most voters judged their government based on competence. Some minor parties are also pretty strong at a regional level.