Sunday, May 10, 2015

Dear Media: About Voting Reform

One of the big talking points since the General Election has been about voting reform. Surely, when UKIP can get so many votes and one seat, and the Greens can get so many votes and one seat, and the SNP can get 50% of Scotland's vote and all but three seats, the system is clearly, manifestly unfair and must be changed?

Dear Media: please stop. Just stop it.

Yes, the voting system is rotten. Yes, it's manifestly unfair. But it won't be changed.

And the reason it won't be changed is quite simple: the Tories have a majority and they're in favour of First Past the Post. And for obvious reason - it very much favours them!

We have a government, therefore, that really doesn't want to change the voting system. Plus, they have a cast-iron excuse for not doing so: we had a referendum and they say that closed the issue for a generation. (That the referendum was on AV specifically isn't going to budge them.)

For a minimum of five years, there is no chance whatsoever that the voting system will be changed. So why are we even talking about it?

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