9 February 2015 — Electoral Reform Society
You’d have thought that in a democracy, the result of an election would reflect the wishes of voters. Well, in 2015, it’s looking increasingly as if that won’t be the case. When there are six parties commanding a decent chunk of the vote, our broken two-party electoral system is more like a game of chance than a way of choosing a government.
Today the Electoral Reform Society publishes a report by Professor John Curtice. In The Lottery Election, Prof Curtice shows some of the weird and almost random effects we’re likely to see in May 2015. He finds:
- UKIP could come 6th in seats but 3rd in votes, and SNP could come 6th in votes but 3rd in seats
- The SNP could get a game-changing 50-odd seats or a paltry few depending on relatively small shifts in the vote
- A five-point improvement for the Lib Dems would have no effect on Labour’s chances of a majority, but the Conservatives would need a ten-point lead for a majority
The report has already attracted some attention – you can read coverage of the Lottery Election in The Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Herald.
But we still need your help to spread the word, so we can make the case for getting rid of First Past the Post.
Please share our blog on Twitter and Facebook!
When the lottery balls have finally settled in whatever position fate places them, we will need to take a long, hard look at how our democracy works. Let’s make this Britain’s last Lottery Election.
Best wishes,
Darren and the ERS Team
The New Dark Age 