To think that the election results don't add up?

We live with PR in Holyrood and tbh it's not great either as you need to contact a whole group of people if you want support with your issue or pick one who might not be the right one.

In my experience, the only responses you ever get are from the Tories...

People didn’t get the opposite of what they wanted though, and most people didn’t want right of centre parties. Conservative and Reform together got 38% of the vote. Yes, more than Labour - but Lib Dem, Green, Plaid and SNP plus several smaller parties/independents are left of centre. Most people wanted left wing politics. As is always the case. Until now Tories have benefitted from no vote splitting as the only right wing party. That’s ended (for now).

The Labour Party members recently Voted for PR (again) but leaders aren't currently on board with that.

No one is saying it’s morally right though. The political system is what we have and that’s what we have to consider when voting.

People also forget that back in 2011 (I think!) we had the opportunity to implement the Alternative Vote method and people voted that down. I was 18 at the time and I voted for it as although not perfect it was a step in the right direction to a more proportional voting system.

To clarify, the point is there’s more than one candidate returned to give a proportional result for the constituency

Because our electoral system needs reform. Think about it. Two seats next door to each other with 20000 votes turn out each - these figures are just picked out of the air by the way

Seat A - Reform get 8000 votes and Lib Dems get 8500 with Tories on 2000 and Labour on 1500 - Lib Dems win

Seat B Reform get 7000 votes and Tories get 9500 with Lab getting 3000 and Lib Dems getting 500 Tories win

So Reform got 15000 votes and no seats even though out of 40000 votes

Reform 15000
Tories 11500
Lib dems 9000
Lab 4500

And that is why FPTP is an unfair system and also why parties have to focus their resources in particular constituencies rather than working nationally to pull out every vote they can. People would be more engaged in the political process if they thought their vote would count rather than what's the point the same person will get in here again anyway.

I'd hate to see Reform in government BUT seemingly a lot of the British people would be quite pleased.

In PR you have more than 1 candidate per constituency. That’s the whole point of it!

There was a referendum to change FPTP to an alternative voting form similar to PR in 2011. Turnout was only 42% and the vote was almost 70% of voters wanting to keep FPTP. I guess OP didn't vote or wasn't aware of the referendum that could change the system.

IMO not everyone who voted in protest for Reform in the current FPTP system knowing it was highly unlikely to result in a Reform MP (apart from a maximum of 13 constituencies that Reform were even in consideration for) would have voted for Reform if there was PR. A good amount of the votes for Reform were warning protest votes against the Tories and made knowing they were unlikely to result in a Reform MP.

But then you end up voting for who is the best places least worst option rather than in line with your beliefs or whose policies you support or who would be the best person to represent your area.

I'm politically homeless so definitely open to options. My seat was SNP and I wanted the slimy, lazy creep gone (and I don't like the party either). The only way to do that was to vote Labour, do I really believe in what Labour are offering? No. Do I think the candidate for Labour (former local councillor) is a lazy fuckwit? Yes. Did I hold my nose and vote for him anyway? Also yes. Giving a free-er choice, I would have looked at the other candidates and manifestos more closely and maybe voted differently but there wasn't really a choice due to FPTP

this

Perhaps the issue is that in FPTP some votes count far more than others.

It’s not proportional representation….by name or nature

@RobynRB yeah, I did say. Many people are stupid and vote led by their hatred towards their fellow humans. You need the extra filters of the current voting system.

Democracy as a rule of law has many short-backs. It's just the best we have so far. It's not perfect. Because people aren't.

Of course they matter. There are a number of constituencies who have unseated their MPs by less than 20 votes, in electorates of tens of thousands. They matter.

You'll find the Green Party are feeling the same way. Supposedly they'd have 45 seats under PR.

In fact, the Lib Dem could still feel hard done by, as with their vote share, they'd also have far more seats under PR.

My constituency has been true blue for as long as I can remember. Labour won with a margin of around 30 votes. My vote really counted here.

The message to those who wanted Labour in government was to vote tactically, even if that meant not voting Labour. That message was really driven home and it was successful. Resounding result for Labour.

Bit stupid as your vote really does matter. Some constituencies were divided by a handful of votes.

In a PR system, Reform voters would not have been ignored & left to fester for so long.

we saw them at Brexit vote. They haven’t gone away. Don’t forget the Brexit party stood aside to allow conservatives get their big win. How much of that win was actually existing reform voters???

Well they didn't change their tune even when FPTP put them in government (admitted as junior partner but still with a significant seat at the table) - something I doubt they'd have achieved with PR. So actually, I think your cynicism is misplaced.

It's right for the FTPF system, factually.

Morally is it right? Probably not, but that's the boundaries of the system we work within.

FPTP means that most votes don't really matter which means that many people get disillusioned with the whole process - and is undoubtedly a contributory factor in the long term trend for decreasing voter turnout.

Post war UK general election turnout:
1945 - 72.8%
1950 - 83.9%
1951 - 82.6%
1955 - 76.8%
1959 - 78.7%
1964 - 77.1%
1966 - 75.8%
1970 - 72.0%
1974 Feb - 78.8%
1974 Oct - 72.8%
1979 - 76.0%
1983 - 72.7%
1987 - 75.3%
1992 - 77.7%
1997 - 71.4%
2001 - 59.4%
2005 - 61.4%
2010 - 65.1%
2015 - 66.2%
2017 - 68.8%
2019 - 67.3%
2024 - 59.9%

Its why SNP had over 80% of the Scottish seats and 40 odd % of the vote.

It's not a great system.

This is how I feel. On the one hand electoral reform is clearly needed. On the other, I worry about giving extremist parties a platform and a foot hold.