A little light reading
Since the general election on 4 July, media channels have been buzzing with calls for PR. In case you missed them, here are a few of the best.
Professor Sir John Curtice, inews, 7 July 2024
>> First past the post is failing our democracy
We should not be surprised that some are now arguing it is time for a rethink. The outcome of Thursday’s election has raised questions about how Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system has turned the votes cast into seats won.
Zoe Williams, The Guardian, 10 July 2024
>> Making Britain’s voting system fairer won’t enable parties like Reform – it’s the only way to challenge them
Bringing in proportional representation is the best way of defending and rebuilding the legitimacy of our democracy. The classic argument for a first past the post (FPTP) voting system was that it kept the cranks at bay and delivered a stable, two-party system, with a third, challenger party that would give the impression of alternative options. It smacked of a slightly imperfect democracy even in the 20th century…
Debate, The Independent, 9 July 2024
>> Does Britain’s voting system need urgent reform? Join The Independent Debate
Should Britain abandon First Past the Post? […] Would a different system be fairer? Would you be happy to see more coalitions and fewer governments with a mandate for radical change under proportional representation? Or do you worry that this system would allow extremist parties easier access to parliament?
Read more and register your opinions…
Joe Sousek and Sandy Martin, LabourList, 9 July 2024
>> Labour admits first past the post is flawed, and GE24 proves it. We need PR
Labour has gone directly from opposition to governing with a strong majority for only the second time in our party’s history. It’s an outstanding achievement – one that almost ten million people voted for – and we now have the opportunity, and obligation, to deliver the change the country so desperately needs.
Alexandra Topping, The Guardian, 8 July 2024
>> ‘Disproportionate’ UK election results boost calls to ditch first past the post
Campaigners for electoral reform say outcome has renewed pressure for proportional representation. The push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics.
>> Scale of Votes with ‘No Impact’ in General Election Revealed as Campaigners Demand Electoral Reform
The general election has produced the “most distorted result in the UK’s democratic history” according to electoral reform campaigners. Analysis by researchers at cross-party pressure group, Make Votes Matter, has found that nearly 6 in 10 voters (58%) will be without an MP of their choosing following this election, a “record high” campaigners say.
Morgan Jones, Labour List, 24 June 2024
>> Poll: Labour voters back proportional representation over first past post
A new poll by Savanta has found that Labour voters support replacing the first past the post (FPTP) voting system with proportional representation (PR). 47% of Labour voters polled back PR, while 37% are in favour of keeping FPTP. The British public overall narrowly supports a change to the voting system, 40% to 38%.
Sandy Martin, East Anglia Bylines, 6 July 2024
>> It’s change, it’s good, but is it democracy?
Labour’s victory marks a shift, but underlying tensions and electoral flaws risk a future right-wing resurgence. Starmer’s response is crucial. On 4 July 2024, 22 million people in the UK (or thereabouts) voted for change. Only 6.8 million – or 24% of those who voted – expressed support for the Conservative government we have had. Unusually, the Tories got a lower proportion of seats than votes – roughly 19% of the seats in the House of Commons. The punishment inflicted on the Conservative Party was both well-deserved and expressed by our electoral system in the usual way – by kicking the party that is down.
Polly Toynbee, The Guardian, 2 July 2024
>> Labour may win big under first past the post, but it is morally obliged to bring in a fairer system
Tactical voting can help oust the Tories, but we should remember that it’s also a democratic abomination. In one great whoosh, the country looks set to hose away this despicable government on an outflow of its own sewage. Kicking the bastards out is what democracy does. That seems to be the primary will of the people now.
