Congratulations to the three newly elected Members of Parliament, Keir Mather for the Labour Party in Selby and Ainsty, Steve Tuckwell for the Conservative Party in Uxbridge and South Ruislip and Sarah Joanne Dyke for the Liberal Democrats in Somerset and Frome.
Having faced the prospect of losing all three by-elections, the Tory’s may take some crumbs of comfort by scraping home in the former Prime Minister’s seat. It is claimed in the media that this was down to concerns about the Ultra Low Emissions Zone but how they know is beyond me. Using this argument, everyone who didn’t vote for the Conservatives is in favour of the ULEZ. It just doesn’t make sense as every person votes for their own reason.
In truth though, it was the voting public that lost in two of the three seats. Only in Somerset and Frome did the winner gain a majority, that is more than half the vote. Dyke’s share was 54.6% on a turnout of 44.23%, with an impressive swing of 28.4%.
In Selby and Ainsty, Mather won with 46% of the vote with a turnout of 44.8% while in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Tuckwell won with 45.2% of the vote with a turnout of 46.23%.
In all three seats, more than half the electorate didn’t vote at all, as is their right, and we will never know their intention. In Selby and Ainsty and in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, however, the majority of people who did vote, did not want the person who was ultimately elected. The majority of the electorate will therefore be unhappy with their representative. New MPs have been sent to parliament on less than 21%. How can this be considered to be democratic?
This country needs change. It needs an electoral system that returns a representative government, one which can command the majority of the vote.
We need some form of proportional representation now. Nobody should be elected on a minority of votes.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 