andrewducker: (Default)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2013-03-01 08:12 am

That was an interesting election result to wake up to

Very glad to see the Lib-Dems keep Eastleigh.

Very amused to see the Conservatives pushed into third.

Simultaneously worried that so many people voted for UKIP and glad to have a fourth party getting somewhere in England (The more parties that do well, the greater the chance of getting voting reform in, as it makes FPTP look more ibviously broken.)

And with their two approaches mixing so well, I wonder what the chances are of The Daily Mail deciding to back the UKIP as their party of choice...

Edit: Thinking about it - if I was running The Daily Mail then I'd know that there was no way the Conservatives were winning the next election. So moving my support to UKIP until the one after would mean several years of pushing things further right, without risking losing anything (and reminding the Conservatives that they weren't the only option.)
dalglir: Default (Default)

[personal profile] dalglir 2013-03-01 09:43 am (UTC)(link)
I'd be surprised if we get another stab at voting reform within our lifetimes.

The Daily Mail is a hateful little paper isn't it?

I feel that politics is broken in this country. While electoral reform will have an impact, I think total transparency from politicians would also help. As a country, we're so used to the sleaze, corruption and selfishness of our politicians that it's hard to even take an interest in the policies that differentiate the parties as 'they're all the same'. There is a pervasive feeling that they're all on the take, all gaming the system for personal greed, all abusing the power given too them. And then they wring their hands for the benefit of the media about low voter turnout. Ugh.
ext_51145: (Default)

[identity profile] andrewhickey.info 2013-03-01 10:24 am (UTC)(link)
I'm fairly certain that we'll get proper electoral reform within twenty years. Scottish devolution failed *its* referendum in 1979, too, but it happened in 1998. The system is broken, and everyone knows it, and while we lost the AV referendum, a larger percentage of people voted for AV than voted for any single political party.

It will happen. My guess is that shortly after the 2025 election the Yes2STV campaign will be gearing up...
dalglir: Default (Default)

[personal profile] dalglir 2013-03-01 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I hope you're right.
dalglir: Default (Default)

[personal profile] dalglir 2013-03-02 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks Andy. Very useful.