# Thought experiment: What if U.S. government represented the will of the people (more precisely)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thought-experiment-what-if-u-s-government-represented-the-will-of-the-people-more-precisely/595391>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 6, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thought-experiment-what-if-u-s-government-represented-the-will-of-the-people-more-precisely/595391 "2011-09-06T14:48:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thought-experiment-what-if-u-s-government-represented-the-will-of-the-people-more-precisely/595391/21 "2011-09-10T22:33:04Z")

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> [@gatorslap](#):
>
> It doesn’t in the UK or Canada.

The UK has a two-party system under most definitions (sorry Lib Dems, but you aren’t significant enough to change that), and Canada comes pretty close. (The provinces are generally two-party systems too.)

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thought-experiment-what-if-u-s-government-represented-the-will-of-the-people-more-precisely/595391/22 "2011-09-11T16:56:08Z")

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> [@Lord\_Feldon](#):
>
> The UK has a two-party system under most definitions (sorry Lib Dems, but you aren’t significant enough to change that), and Canada comes pretty close. (The provinces are generally two-party systems too.)

Generally true, though the [New Democrats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Democratic_Party) have governed some provinces, and at times wielded some federal power and can be credited with Canada’s single-payer health-care system. Wish we had something like them in the U.S.

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