Simon BrookeJul 5, 2024

OK, the first thing to say about #GeneralElectionUK 2024 is this: #Labour lost, and lost badly. They lost, in fact, HALF A MILLION VOTES compared to their 2019 result.

All the major parties, including the #LibDems, lost. Labour just lost less badly than either the #Conservatives or the #SNP.

#UKPol
#ScotPol

https://www.journeyman.cc/blog/posts-output/2024-07-06-the-election-and-after/

The election, and after

In any election in a reasonably democratic voting system — such as that used for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd, for example — the number of seats in the resulting parliament assigned to a party is proportional to the number seats they won. So any party or coalition capable of forming a government must have a proportion of the vote close to, or exceeding, a majority. Britain isn't like that, of course. Britain isn't a well-functioning anything at all, still less a well functioning democracy.

The Fool on the Hill
Show threadGeofCoxJul 6, 2024

@simon_brooke

Interesting table. There are obviously some special factors in play - eg. for the SNP and DUP - but it does tend to confirm the big changes in voter behaviour that were already pretty clear in many 'western democracies':
1. Declining turnout; and
2. Movement to political extremes.

I would argue these are both in fact symptoms of disillusion with the 'moderate' political centre and its rotating duopoly that never seems to really affect people's lives.

But I have to say, even though I'm familiar with this trend, I was surprised that given just how appalling the Tory government has been - and not just its policies, but divided and incompetent and corrupt too - less than 60% of the electorate were motivated enough to try to vote them out.

Show threadGeofCoxJul 6, 2024

@simon_brooke

Another interesting table - from the Electoral Reform Society - contrasting the current FPTP result with what it would have been under the proportional AMS system used for the Scottish Assembly, etc... Labour would now be negotiating a coalition (with the LibDems and Greens?).

Show threadSimon Brooke
@GeofCox Got a link, please?
Jul 6, 2024 at 7:41amWeb
Show threadSimon BrookeJul 6, 2024

@GeofCox OK, found it. It's towards the bottom of their current front page, here:

https://election2024.electoral-reform.org.uk/

Of course, that isn't very helpful in finding a permanent reference to it, and of course the page has no internal anchors. I wish people wouldn't construct web sites like this!

Electoral Reform Society

Electoral Reform Society - 2024 General Election Results