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 threadPete Alex Harris🦡🕸️🌲/∞🪐∫Jul 6, 2024
@GeofCox @simon_brooke every time someone seems surprised at the low turnout without mentioning the voter suppression law the Tories passed specifically to lower the turnout, I wonder if I'm missing something.
Show threadSebJul 6, 2024
@GeofCox @petealexharris @simon_brooke If you wanted to increase turnout, you’d make it as easy as possible to vote. Enable voting in any polling station. The polling cards they send out could double as voting slips - just fill in your cross and drop it in. At the count you’d have a separate area for ‘outside’ votes which would then be communicated to the appropriate constituency. There wouldn’t be that many in most areas.
Show threadAdrian
@seb321 @GeofCox @petealexharris @simon_brooke you can already have your voting slip sent to you by registering for a postal vote. Allowing it to be delivered anywhere would create a logistical nightmare. No constituency would be able to declare until every count had finished the out of constituency votes. All you would need would be one irregularity with a single count and the entire result could be delayed until after breakfast.
Far better would be a digital option for returning postal votes.
Jul 7, 2024 at 8:48amWeb
Show threadSimon BrookeJul 7, 2024
@acs @seb321 @GeofCox @petealexharris unless it was required that out-of-area ballots were counted first, which they easily could be because there would be relatively few of them.