FPTP doesn't work - time to reform it

[twodowntwotogo]

There's such a wild mismatch between % of the vote and the actual result - the most extreme ever. It makes for a 'cleaner' outcome but given the mutli-party system, isn't it time to move to proportional representation as more democratic? Thoughts? (I'm all for it but would be interested in hearing if anyone seriously champions FPTP).

Same for me - LD tactical vote

Speaking from NI I'm nervous of PR. I love the theory of it and in a fantasy world I would be behind it 100% but it makes it easy to block progress and get attention doing so. Much easier to knock down than build and politicians are scared to be seen to working with people their electorate deem other. Look at america.

I think we need a strong opposition that is respected and we need to reward politicians that listen and think and change their stance when a good argument is made but ultimately a strong force that can make change.

Also, both Labour and Lib Dem did very targeted campaigning.

LD knew exactly the seats they were a close enough second to the Tories (Home Counties, south west) and targeted those hard. And they won a pretty high number of these.

I absolutely agree. Both Labour and Lib Dem used the FPTP system and their knowledge of it to full advantage. The Tories didn't. FPTP absolutely does distort elections and I am in favour of PR, but sour grapes won't help anyone.

Tbf given the public mood they probably used it as they could, they could have had a lower result, and in 2019 did use it to their advantage and probably other GEs

I have thought a bit more on this thread and someone mentioned redoing referendums. If I were to choose I’d not choose the electoral system one

To be fair to the Tories, they were so deep in the electoral shit that I dont think any amount of targeting campaigning would have helped (though the 80/20 strategy they started out with was batshit crazy on the numbers they were doing.)

We the people worked together to deliver the government and the Parliament we want.

412 Labour MPs
72 Lib Dem MPs
9 SNP MPs
6 Independent MPs
4 Green MPs
4 Plaid Cymru MPs

Obviously there were some seats where it didn't work as well. Four way splits and seats won by just a few votes.

But by and large it did what we wanted it to do.

Boot out the party whose solution to prisons overflowing was to tell the police to avoid arresting people.

Apparently we can't have PR because AV (which isn't really PR anyway) didn't win a referendum.

So can someone tell me: When was the referendum held that first established First Past The Post"?

Well done, you are getting the hang of the will of the people and how important it is as expressed in referendums.

It is revealing how the London government (s) always set up PR elections in other centres of power. Cardiff , Edinburgh , Belfast and the new mayoralties. There would scarcely be a single Tory in Holyrood without PR. And much as I loathe them , that would not be right.

Consider the Netherlands. Geert Wilders won the election, as in his party is the largest. Under FPTP he might not even need a coalition partner. And he got under 30% of the vote.
But there is an art to coalition government. As Nick Clegg discovered. His mistake was to settle for that AV bollox instead of the Single Transferable Vote. It was a dogs breakfast and with most ppl it's a case of ' if you don't know : Vote No'. Dodgy Dave rinsed him.