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Sting In Thr Tail Election Thoughts
(July 15, 2024)It has been ten days since the country voted to elect a really new set of Members of Parliament to govern the United Kingdom and continue to place their faith in Dr. Andrews Murrison to represent Warminster.
Described by the national media as 'historic' it also should carry a new warning about the ways democracy is disappearing step by step and slowly drip by drip year after year
"i know many of us had decided that the Conservatives were not making a good fist of running things but even worse they lost the public relations battle," says Paul Macdonald.
"I arrived at the ballot box in Boreham Road very early in the morning still undecided. I voted knowing it was almost a waste of time. I placed my cross but this time knew maybe I should not have bothered "
There was already a line of voters who had their support ready to flourish with seven boxes to put the pencil cross into to the name representing political parties and Independents on the ballot paper.
The votes have been cast. The new government is nearly in place. Cabinet members are being announced. Policies that were hypothetical are being announced. The triumphant new Prime Minister is touring the countries that make up the the nation.
Since then Paul as a well know veteran community politician who has stood and lost more times than he has won at all types of election has been constantly asked for his thoughts by local people where he lives.
Who Really Won?
The British election system ensures that the percentage of votes that a party votes is not the same as the percentage of MPs they win in parliament.
"The other PR question is proportional representation or the 'first past the post' way we decide who to vote for that is a total disgrace," argues Paul.
"How can one party take over running the country with one-third of the votes and get over 400 MPs when three other parties get nearly the other six-tenths of the votes and only 200 of the seats at Westminster?"
The general election result saw the Conservatives crash and get 121 MPs with just over one-fithh of the ballot papers cast at the polling stations. In voting terms the Liberal Democrats got 72 seats with just over one in ten voters.
There are two well known other parties that fared badly under the current voting systems in the United Kingdom.
"The Green Party got more than the five-per.cent of the vote and now have four seats which in my view if this was fair way of doing things they should have more," adds Paul.
"But wait for it. The sting in the tail.," warns Paul. "Four million votes. Yes. Four million votes for a registered political party gets it just five of their candidates elected."
"The Reform Party received the support of 500.000 more votes than the Liberal Democrats who now sit their bums on 65 more of the benches than them at question time in the House of Commons.
"The time has seriously come for another serious debate about getting voting in this country fair and proportional not just at a national level but also for local elections that will be held next year."