Welcome to our latest report and updates on fair votes/voting reform events and developments, from outside as well as within Westminster.
The fallout from the massively disproportionate 2024 election continues: many Labour MPs back change; Kemi Badenoch calls the disproportionate election result a scandal! - and Farage eyes first past the post (FPTP) as his quickest route to power.
Meanwhile 88% of the public think that our political system needs to change. Our campaigns for fair votes and capping political donations answer that call. We will clean up our politics as well as our rivers and our beaches - as brilliantly demonstrated by Manuella Perteghella’s bill to rid British politics of dirty money.
Labour MPs comprise the overwhelming majority of the 120+ Fair Elections APPG members (Liberal Democrats are at 40) (https://www.fairelections.uk/)
59 Labour MPs voted for Sarah Olney’s December ‘10 minute rule bill’ (50 voted against)
10 Labour MPs spoke in favour of voting reform in the January 30 backbench business debate (one spoke against)
7 supported reform in the March 6 Political Finance Rules backbench debate (none against). Eliminating ‘dark money’ is also a Fair Elections APPG objective
And - Diane Abbott now backs fair votes: although she ‘never used to.’
The LDER Take: Pro-Fair Votes allies are working directly on PLP members to nurture, encourage and persuade; we give ‘moral support’ to their efforts and encourage cross-party exchange. We reckon more than 200 Labour MPs, at least privately, support voting reform, with another 100 approx who are undecided.
Badenoch says FPTP delivered a ‘scandalous’ result!
She said: “If this was a country where you had proportional representation, it would probably come out in the wash, but we don't. So you will have a party like Labour, which has won a landslide majority on 34 per cent of the vote. That is a scandal.”
Read the full piece from politics.co.uk here.
The LDER Take: Allies should use Badenoch’s admission to build support for Fair Votes within the Conservatives.
Farage claims he's reached the tipping point at which First Past the Post has become his “friend”. He said: “...first-past-the-post can be your enemy, but there comes an inversion point at which it becomes your friend…we are literally at that inflexion point."
Labour for A New Democracy provide full analysis here and Gary Gibbon of Channel 4 shows how, under FPTP, a vote share of 28% could produce 200+ MPs; and over 30% could lead to a Commons majority.
The LDER Take: We should use Farage’s statement to prove that Fair Votes/proportional voting is best for democracy, best for restoring voter trust - and best for keeping Farage away from power on minority support.
88% of the public think that 'the political system' needs to change. (More In Common.)
Make Votes Matter explores more equal representation of women in our politics
Electoral Reform Society on how FPTP could benefit Farage (The Scotsman)
Compass’ Neal Lawson on how first past the post stifles ‘progressive’ politics, including the current Starmer government (Prospect Magazine)
The government’s response to the Electoral Commission report on the 2024 General Election was released. Not on voting reform but responses include:
making voter ID easier (but keeping the requirement)
Easing barriers to voting
Combatting intimidation and abuse when campaigning
Delivering elections (pressures on counting staffs/Returning Officers)
Germany’s federal election (held under the PR system in use for Scottish Parliament and London Assembly elections).
Two different accounts:
The LDER Take: The Express claims, under PR, the SPD will continue in Government despite losing the election. The reality though is that the SDP will be relegated to at best junior partner; no longer coalition leader. Not unchanged continuity at all. The Express adds that because the CDU/CSU ‘won’ it should be the Government - and yet they got less than 30% of the vote; a clear example of the desire for simplicity and strength/control overruling the democratic wishes of the people.
We hope this report is relevant and useful to you. If you would like to discuss these updates, or unsubscribe, please mail info@lder.org.
If MPs want to join the APPG on Fair Elections, please mail joe@fairvote.uk or mark@fairvote.uk. The APPG website is at https://www.fairelections.uk/
To join LDER please go to https://www.lder.org/join-us or to get our regular newsletter updates, go to https://www.lder.org/sign-up-for-updates
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