What is tactical voting and why is it bad for democracy? In a Westminster election, tactical voting takes place when a voter chooses a candidate whom they wouldn’t normally support, in order to prevent another candidate from winning. For example, if you want to vote for... Posted 12 Nov 2019
How do elections work in Japan? For the next six weeks the eyes of the world will be fixed on Japan. Ok, probably not all the eyes just the ones that enjoy watching rugby. This week marks the beginning of the... Posted 19 Sep 2019
200 years since the Peterloo Massacre, Westminster is still broken The events of 2019 have put the problems of Westminster’s system into sharp focus. From discussions about the Prime Minister proroguing parliament, to MPs leaving main parties to form their own (only to splinter within... Posted 16 Aug 2019
Why A General Election Won’t Solve The Brexit Deadlock One piece of news got buried last week. While Labour held on to Newport West in Thursday’s by-election, the full figures reveal an interesting picture. Back in 2017 Labour and the Conservatives took nearly 92%... Posted 11 Apr 2019
With first past the post, country and city voters take turns being locked out of government Far too often, debates around electoral reform are characterised as the idea of making two pie charts match: one pie chart represents how the country voted, the other the make-up of parliament. The 2015 general... Posted 28 Feb 2019
How long have we used First Past the Post? You might be surprised We’re right to be proud of the long history of parliamentary democracy in Britain. But the way we elect MPs to Westminster is a relatively new development in that history. There have been countless reforms... Posted 11 Jan 2019
How the Democrats could win the popular vote but not control of the House Brenda from Bristol famously cried “not another one!” at the news that we were to hold an election in 2017, just two years since the last one. Let’s hope she doesn’t plan to move to... Posted 06 Nov 2018
DUP deals and the warped world of First Past the Post coalitions With news that the Democratic Unionist Party’s 10 MPs are considering voting down the budget over Brexit divisions, the usual arguments are being rolled out about the ‘tail wagging the dog’ during coalitions. For two... Posted 12 Oct 2018
How can a party lose support but gain seats? The upside-down world of Westminster’s voting system What would you expect to happen if a party gained support in a fresh election? Most people would expect them to gain MPs. It seems obvious that a change in popular support should lead to... Posted 14 Sep 2018
It’s not just the boundaries that need reviewing – it’s First Past the Post The four national Boundary Commissions have now announced their results. If parliament accepts them, these will be the constituencies that the next general election in 2022 will be fought on. The election specialists Rallings &... Posted 11 Sep 2018