First Past the Post - Bad for Britain

GET IN TOUCH

First Past the Post - Bad for Britain

Steve Unwin • 27 July 2023

Steve Unwin

Spokesman for Home Affairs, Voting Reform & Local Government

Satisfaction with the government is currently at near-record low levels. Recent polling (Ipsos, 23 June 2023) found 80% of people unhappy with how government is running the country. Whilst that is terrible, almost half of voters - 49% were dissatisfied with Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Our electoral system to the House of Commons is not only outdated – it is dangerously bad for Britain’s failing democracy – designed to provide a duel choice – but that choice is simply terrible versus lousy.

The terrible Tories have had their time mucking up our country – so everyone knows Britain is now more-or-less guaranteed a lousy Labour government, by default.

Government should be by merit, and not by default!

Many people know that their political engagement is irrelevant – due to this outdated and undemocratic system designed for a different era. Significantly more people are not bothering to vote in General Elections – and who can blame them for not bothering in this rigged, broken system, where most voters cannot make a significant outcome in the election result?

There have been six General Elections in the 21^st century. Voter turnout to date has NEVER reached 70%, and the average is just 64.7% turnout. As a comparison, for the latter half of the 20^th century, there were 16 General Elections, and voter turnout averaged 76.3%, and NEVER reached as low as 70% turnout. Political engagement has become increasingly irrelevant in a system where the political Establishment “Blob” have no recognisable legitimate democratic authority.

It is time to replace First Past the Post with a system of Proportional Representation, so seats match votes and all votes count equally. A fair voting system will ensure that those elected have a legitimate mandate that people can respect.

In the 2015 General Election, UKIP famously polled 3.9 million votes – 12.6% of the vote - but won just 1 of 650 seats. At the same time the SNP polled less than half of UKIP’s vote - under 1.5 million votes - but won 56 seats. And the Conservatives, with under three times the UKIP vote – 11.3 million votes -36.8% of the vote, won – not 3 seats - but 330 out of 650 seats (50.8% of seats with 36.8% of the vote!)

The current system is not only disproportionate – it leads to literally millions of voters being completely unrepresented. Possibly as bad, it also leads to hundreds of MPs between the Conservatives and Labour having so-called “safe” seats for the blue and red teams. These members of Parliament – good, bad, or indifferent – can, and in some cases do, take their electorate for granted.

Britain needs to move on from our 19^th century system of disproportionate Un-representation to something fit for the current time. The UK Independence Party believes that Britain needs a true system of Proportional Representation.

Steve Unwin

Spokesman for Home Affairs, Voting Reform & Local Government

< Older Post Newer Post >

Recent National News

Enough is Enough

by Cameron Bishop • 2 November 2024

Cameron Bishop Former Police Crown Servant, Solicitor & UKIP Activist

Ever wondered what makes UKIP different?

by Ben Walker • 21 October 2024

Ben Walker National Party Chairman - UK Independence Party

The Father of BREXIT Dies

by Stuart Gulleford • 11 September 2024

Jeffrey Titford 24.10.1933 – 09.09.2024 Jeffrey Titford, the former Leader of the UK Independence Party and two term MEP for the East of England, has passed away, after suffering from cancer. His family announced his death on 10 th September, aged 90. Jeffrey was one of the fathers of Brexit, coming to the fore in national and international politics at a time when leaving the EU was considered unthinkable and long before it became official Conservative Party policy. A visionary and a democrat, who did not believe that EU membership provided a viable future for Britain as an independent, self-governing nation, Jeffrey Titford was elected to the European Parliament at the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections, aged 63. He was one of three UK Independence Party MEPs elected, which sent shock waves through the political world. He became Leader of the Party in 2000 and served for three years bringing stability and respectability to its campaigns. During this period, he made seventy speeches a year, travelling all over the country. He also served as interim Leader from September to November 2010, following the resignation of Lord Pearson of Rannoch, while the election of a new Leader was held. During his time in the European Parliament, he made dozens of speeches in Plenary session severely criticising the EU and particularly the level of fraud in its finances. He also extensively lobbied the European Commission and the Government in Westminster on behalf of the British fishing and farming industries. He led several delegations of fishermen to see UK Agriculture Ministers in Westminster and also took a delegation to meet the European Commissioner for Fishing in Brussels. He wrote monthly columns for the East Anglian Daily Times, the Hertfordshire Mercury and Farmers Guide and made many appearances on regional television. He also made a guest appearance on Breakfast with Frost. Jeffrey Titford’s political career began in 1970, when he became a Councillor on the Clacton Urban District Council. He ended his association with the Conservative Party in 1992, in protest over Prime Minister John Major’s signing of the Maastricht Treaty. He joined Sir James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party and, in a sign of things to come, stood in the General Election of 1997 in Harwich when he was the Party’s most successful candidate, securing almost 10 per cent of the vote and, in the process, unseating the sitting Member of Parliament. Following the death of Sir James Goldsmith, Jeffrey was invited to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP), where he established a branch in Clacton and a regional committee, which led to his successful campaign in the European Elections in 1999. He paved the way for Nigel Farage’s subsequent success in Clacton at the 2024 General Election. He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2004, with a greatly increased share of the vote and UKIP also returned a second MEP. He retired from European Politics in 2009 and was made an Honorary Patron of the Party in 2006 and became President for Life in 2011. Life before politics Following National Service in the RAF, Jeffrey joined the family’s funeral directing business in 1956, where he had a 35 year career, during which he served for 12 years on the National Association of Funeral Director’s (NAFD) National Executive and rose to National President in 1975-76. He was instrumental in developing an official code of practice for the funeral profession, at the request of the Office of Fair Trading. He also successfully campaigned for funeral directors to have the right to sell a package funeral and carried out the first review of the practice manual for funeral directing, which led to the creation of a formal qualification for funeral directors, recognised by the NAFD. He sold the company in February 1989 and retired from the profession. An enthusiastic Rotarian, Jeffrey served as President of the Clacton and later Frinton Rotary Clubs. He also belonged to the Clacton Operatic and Clacton Dramatic Societies, taking lead roles in both companies. However, his most successful hobby was rally driving. He was a leading light in the Clacton Motor Club in the early seventies for whom he was the regional rally champion for six consecutive years. Jeffrey Titford was a devoted family man and is survived by his wife Margaret, one son, three daughters, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.