We supposedly live in a democracy. I have voted in every election but I’ve never yet had a vote that counts. Throughout my life I have always lived in a strong Labour or strong Tory voting constituency. My vote has been meaningless.
Unless you happen to live in an area with a narrow margin, a swing constituency, your vote doesn’t matter.
That’s not my idea of democracy!
WHAT WE NEED IS SOME FORM OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION!!!
EVERY VOTE SHOULD COUNT!!
I hope Keir Starmer is listening!!!
“Millions of people vote in safe seats and they feel their voice doesn’t count. That’s got to be addressed by electoral reform.” Not our words, but those of Labour Leader Keir Starmer in 2020.
Fast forward to this year and Starmer’s spokesperson seems to be denying what he said, saying the Labour leader has a “longstanding view against proportional representation”. Well, not that long according to the huge billboard we’ve installed on the front of Labour’s London HQ this morning.
More than 80% of Labour Party members support proportional representation. The Labour Party conference voted overwhelmingly last year to support it on the back of rising union support. And that’s along with the other opposition parties who have longstanding commitments to electoral reform.
The evidence from New Zealand, where they went through the change 30 years ago is dramatic. The right-leaning Conservatives held power 74% of the time when they had our current, first-past-the-post system. Since adopting PR, the left-leaning Labour party has held power a majority of the time.
Our broken electoral system has delivered a disproportionate number of Conservative party victories, even though they haven’t won a majority of the popular vote in any election since 1935.
It’s beyond time we changed our electoral system to one where every vote counts. If Labour win next year they need to make it happen.
