First past the post is unfair

[Meshy12]

Regardless of political alliances isn’t it unfair?

Case in point:

• Lib Dem received 1.2m more votes this year than in 2017 but lost a seat
• Tories received only 300,000 more votes this year but gained 47 seats
• SNP received 400,000 more votes and gained 14 seats
• Green Party had 2/3rd as many votes as the SNP but don’t have a single MP representing their voice
• over 52% of votes went to pro remain parties/second referendum parties yet here we are facing the prospect of a possible no deal or hard brexit

I know there was a referendum in 2011 for this but is there a case for another one?

I can't make my mind up about FPTP.
Right now it feels pretty shite and unfair, but I seem to remember being quite keen on it when it was keeping UKIP nutters from gaining seats.

As for another referendum YABVVVU. I will be content if there is never another referendum about anything whatsoever in my lifetime. I think the last 3 years have proved that nobody in this country should be allowed anywhere near them under any circumstances!

Proportional representation would have meant that UKIP would have had plenty of clout last time around, although that would be fair on people who voted for them.

I'm in Ireland where there is proportional representation and a single transferable vote. So I could give my no 1 to the monster raving looney candidate and my no 2 to someone more likely to be elected. My vote wouldn't be wasted as such.

You don't get stacked votes being a waste for the larger parties as they'll run 3 candidates in the same constituency. Smaller parties usually only have the resources to run one candidate so are disadvantaged in this sense.

Constituencies usually have 4 or 5 TDs. I do wonder if this aspect is a disadvantage though, as a TD might feel less responsible for his/her constituents.

A 40% vote share isn't enough for a majority, but it's close to one. I don't think there's been an overall majority in my lifetime (I'm in my 40s).

For years, the largest party would have picked up 2-3 seats in 5 seater constituencies. The smaller parties or an independent might get 1, and the second largest party will get either 1 or 2, depending on how well the largest party did/ smaller party did.

It's changed a bit now in that smaller parties and independents together might hold more than one seat per constituency. I don't think there's any constituency where a small party has 2 seats though. Because the Healy-Raes are not a party.

There's pluses and minuses. More extreme crazies and more likelihood of fascists with seats. More instability Also more representative of minority issues with the greens. Choose your poison. It's not automatically better.

Smaller parties do have a much better chance of winning seats in the Irish system, and I suppose the vote share does reflect the seat share better. But, and it's a big but, because the bigger parties put up more candidates, and the candidates' surpluses (each seat has a quota of total no of votes divided by seats plus 1) are usually transferred to each other, the big parties still do disproportionately better, and it can be pointless hoping your small party/indy candidate would get in.

Some constituencies only have 3 seats, and the two main parties are/were likely enough to take all 3 between them, or even all 3 going to just one party, leaving the minority unrepresented.

Also the constituencies cover a much bigger graphical area in lower population areas, so your TD might not be pushed at all about your town/ area as they're local to the other side of the constituency and don't feel their votes are coming from your town anyway.