What does winning an election under first past the post feel like for the winners? This is a hypothetical journey for me, an exercise in empathy; because I am a perpetual loser. Not by other measures perhaps, but at 40 years old, by asserting my democratic voice I have only ever lost. I’ve chopped and […]
All good down under: New Zealand’s experience of ditching first past the post
In case we are under any illusions, the UK isn’t the only country that has suffered a democratic deficit when it comes to general elections! Down under, over forty years ago, New Zealand’s famously fair public were ‘treated’ to the results of two consecutive general elections where a party coming second in the polls managed […]
Socialists in the Labour Party should back PR
Support for proportional representation is not the preserve of any one party. But given the opposition of the Tory party to any change, the view of the Labour Party will be key to any reform. For the purposes of providing a greater understanding of the debates within Labour, it is worth considering the views of […]
The Battle of Batley: an electoral stinker!
Whenever Norwich South Labour MP Clive Lewis speaks on the value of proportional representation, he almost always adds this caveat: “But of course PR is NOT a silver bullet for the many problems we face.” In this March 2021 video, they are very first words to come out of Clive’s mouth. That’s […]
Chesham & Amersham by-election: a voters’ alliance from below
The lessons are already flowing in from the stunning LibDem byelection win in Chesham and Amersham (C & A): This was a master class in tactical voting, again mostly started by conversations over back fences, in back gardens and pubs It shows the practical wisdom of a progressive alliance, in this case an unofficial […]