The good thing about the first-past-the-post system is that it leads to strong government and it keeps out the views of minorities. That may be the views of some but the number that believes this must have decreased a lot in the last week. We have a FPTP system that has led to a coalition in a balanced parliament.
Another view is that the bad thing about coalitions is that they allow extreme views to prevail. In this case we find the Tories abandoning their tax breaks for the super rich and the Liberal Democrats putting to one side policies that the Tories don't like. In fact any agreement between the two parties will only take place if both agree. So extreme views don't prevail.
If there is nothing to fear from a coalition government and nothing to fear from extreme views then let's adopt a fairer voting system to allow both these things to happen. Not only are we getting a referendum on the alternative vote system (not brilliant but a step forward), we are also getting fixed-term parliaments. We can now look forward to the next election in May 2015 and not at any other time related to the whim of the Prime Minister.
Change the world
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
When to count the ballot papers
The Morecambe and the Lancaster constituencies counted their ballot papers on Friday morning. The reason for this is because we didn't want the staff to work through the whole of polling day and then through the night. I thought this was the reason but I heard on Radio Lancashire that the change of day was because the constituencies were so big.
I have often written about Morecambe's traffic problems. It can take a long time to get through Lancaster, but traffic isn't too bad at 10pm when the polling stations closed. I reckon that all the ballot boxes could be back at the count within thirty minutes. Let's be generous and say it takes 45 minutes. So why does it take so much longer to count the ballot papers in my area? I heard the Morecambe result as it was announced at 3.15pm (counting started at 9am) and the Lancaster result was declared some time after this. It took six hours fifteen minutes for the count to take place. If it had started when polling closed it would have finished at 5am!
All the volunteers who worked for the parties would have been up all day and all night and then attended the count. I don't think it would be too difficult for council staff who get paid for their day to finish their count much quicker than they did, and to carry on when the polls close.
Change the world
I have often written about Morecambe's traffic problems. It can take a long time to get through Lancaster, but traffic isn't too bad at 10pm when the polling stations closed. I reckon that all the ballot boxes could be back at the count within thirty minutes. Let's be generous and say it takes 45 minutes. So why does it take so much longer to count the ballot papers in my area? I heard the Morecambe result as it was announced at 3.15pm (counting started at 9am) and the Lancaster result was declared some time after this. It took six hours fifteen minutes for the count to take place. If it had started when polling closed it would have finished at 5am!
All the volunteers who worked for the parties would have been up all day and all night and then attended the count. I don't think it would be too difficult for council staff who get paid for their day to finish their count much quicker than they did, and to carry on when the polls close.
Change the world
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
How to slighly improve a discredited system
The common cry from Labour is that you win some and you lose some. Well it suits them to say so. If history is anything to go by then the pendulum will swing slightly their way again and they will have absolute power. Diane Abbott, a Labour MP who did win this time said that we have to do what is best for the British people. What she meant is that we have to accept this result from what should have been a discredited FPTP system.
Pat Case, a Tory concillor was saying on Radio Lancashire that "there is absolutely clear evidence that people want change". For me the evidence is that most people don't engage in politics and feel disenfanchised. Of those who do vote most stay with their usual party. She went on to say that "the Liberals (she meant to say the Liberal Democrats) are only talking about electoral reform which is a bit selfish and to their own advantage". She mustn't have looked at the manifesto as it is all about fairness and change. However I was most interested in what she had to say about the Tory policies for change. "Cameron is talking about serious political reform of parliament, of the electoral system". She goes on "of the constituency sizes so that we have a fairer reflection of what the public want".
To me this says nothing. Correcting the size of constituencies will slightly improve a discredited system. So what!
Change the world
Pat Case, a Tory concillor was saying on Radio Lancashire that "there is absolutely clear evidence that people want change". For me the evidence is that most people don't engage in politics and feel disenfanchised. Of those who do vote most stay with their usual party. She went on to say that "the Liberals (she meant to say the Liberal Democrats) are only talking about electoral reform which is a bit selfish and to their own advantage". She mustn't have looked at the manifesto as it is all about fairness and change. However I was most interested in what she had to say about the Tory policies for change. "Cameron is talking about serious political reform of parliament, of the electoral system". She goes on "of the constituency sizes so that we have a fairer reflection of what the public want".
To me this says nothing. Correcting the size of constituencies will slightly improve a discredited system. So what!
Change the world
Monday, 10 May 2010
Apathy wins this election
Thanks to Sea for her comment yesterday. We do need to consider those who are eligible to vote but don't. The turnout was only 65.1% but this was an improvement from 2005 when it was 61%. If we put positive spin onto these figures then it is great that 4% more decided to vote this time. The negative spin is that we still find 35% of the electorate not voting. More than one in three can't put a cross against a name. Do more than one in three voters feel they can't vote for anyone? I think so.
The problems of our electoral system run deep. It is not just about the people who don't vote, but those who find they have nobody to represent them. On Friday on Radio Lancashire a Tory councillor said "The public have rejected Labour, particularly in England". Well the Tories did get the more votes (36.1%) than other parties, but this was way behind the number who didn't vote at all. There was a 5.6% swing from Labour to the Tories in England which happened to be exactly the same swing in Wales.
I can't agree that voters rejected Labour. A few people didn't vote for them and it is obvious that the Welsh swing was the same as the English so don't believe everything you hear. In this election the Tories gained 10 706 647 but the number who didn't vote was 15 897 265. I duly declare apathy the winner in this election.
Change the world
The problems of our electoral system run deep. It is not just about the people who don't vote, but those who find they have nobody to represent them. On Friday on Radio Lancashire a Tory councillor said "The public have rejected Labour, particularly in England". Well the Tories did get the more votes (36.1%) than other parties, but this was way behind the number who didn't vote at all. There was a 5.6% swing from Labour to the Tories in England which happened to be exactly the same swing in Wales.
I can't agree that voters rejected Labour. A few people didn't vote for them and it is obvious that the Welsh swing was the same as the English so don't believe everything you hear. In this election the Tories gained 10 706 647 but the number who didn't vote was 15 897 265. I duly declare apathy the winner in this election.
Change the world
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Has everything changed?
If you have 100 voters on a street and these voters reflected the votes in the general election then you would find that five people had changed their mind. They voted for Labour previously but this time they voted for the Tories.
I was listening to local radio on Friday and I heard a Tory politician talk of the Labour government being thrown out of office. In effect a few people have changed their minds and the next time you hear politicians talking about the decisive nature of a victory then think about this street. Hardly anything has changed in the way people vote but the results don't show this.
Change the world
I was listening to local radio on Friday and I heard a Tory politician talk of the Labour government being thrown out of office. In effect a few people have changed their minds and the next time you hear politicians talking about the decisive nature of a victory then think about this street. Hardly anything has changed in the way people vote but the results don't show this.
Change the world
Saturday, 8 May 2010
The aftermath of the election
I was taking photographs at a wedding for most of yesterday but I did manage to get to the start of the count for the Morecambe and Lancaster constituencies. I suppose that I can say I was there but I have always managed to see the results of elections since 1983. I spoke to a Conservative who felt that the electoral system was wrong. I thanked him for his support for reform but told him that he would be in a minority of those who were wearing blue rosettes.
There is still a slim possibility that the system will change but I am not raising my hopes, particularly after the polls got this election so wrong. Liberal Democrats gained 23% of the vote when the polls told me that we would get 28%. The predicted percentage extrapolated to 100 Liberal Democrat MPs and it turns out our numbers went down. How did the pollsters get it so wrong? It is hard to be disappointed when you are a Liberal Democrat but opinion polls have managed to cause disappointment.
There is a lot of hot air that is spoken after general elections but I thought that the former Morecambe MP Geraldine Smith was magnanimous in defeat. I hope that she doesn't stand again as I would much prefer to beat another candidate - there you are, disappointment has already turned to optimism.
Change the world
There is still a slim possibility that the system will change but I am not raising my hopes, particularly after the polls got this election so wrong. Liberal Democrats gained 23% of the vote when the polls told me that we would get 28%. The predicted percentage extrapolated to 100 Liberal Democrat MPs and it turns out our numbers went down. How did the pollsters get it so wrong? It is hard to be disappointed when you are a Liberal Democrat but opinion polls have managed to cause disappointment.
There is a lot of hot air that is spoken after general elections but I thought that the former Morecambe MP Geraldine Smith was magnanimous in defeat. I hope that she doesn't stand again as I would much prefer to beat another candidate - there you are, disappointment has already turned to optimism.
Change the world
Friday, 7 May 2010
First-past-the-post on its last legs
This is a strange evening for me our count starts tomorrow morning and the last time that I missed a count was in 1983 when my second child was born. Since then I have watched boxes being opened at every count. This means that I have not watched BBC or ITV as the results came in and here I am no listening to Andrew Marr follow David Cameron.
The exit poll is telling me that there will be 59 Liberal Democrat MPs. This is really disappointing as the polls have also told me that our 20% has risen to 32% and fallen back to 28% and the Liberal Democrats will have three less MPs! I did say that regardless of the outcome there would be change. If the percentage votes are close to the predictions then the system will remain obviously unfair. Let's hope that we can't trust the exit polls.
At least Peter Mandelson is telling us that first-past-the-post is on its last legs.
Change the world.
Following the first result, a Labour victory and the Liberal Democrat vote falling by 1%, the exit poll has been amended and Liberal Democrats are now set to win 61 seats. How did we improve by two MPs after this result? Our percentage vote fell and this was against a backdrop of 28% polls not 20% David Dimblebly is casting doubt on the exit poll. I have also glanced at the ITV exit poll (at 11.30pm) and they have the Liberal Democrats down for 59 seats. I think I will stay with the BBC.
The exit poll is telling me that there will be 59 Liberal Democrat MPs. This is really disappointing as the polls have also told me that our 20% has risen to 32% and fallen back to 28% and the Liberal Democrats will have three less MPs! I did say that regardless of the outcome there would be change. If the percentage votes are close to the predictions then the system will remain obviously unfair. Let's hope that we can't trust the exit polls.
At least Peter Mandelson is telling us that first-past-the-post is on its last legs.
Change the world.
Following the first result, a Labour victory and the Liberal Democrat vote falling by 1%, the exit poll has been amended and Liberal Democrats are now set to win 61 seats. How did we improve by two MPs after this result? Our percentage vote fell and this was against a backdrop of 28% polls not 20% David Dimblebly is casting doubt on the exit poll. I have also glanced at the ITV exit poll (at 11.30pm) and they have the Liberal Democrats down for 59 seats. I think I will stay with the BBC.
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