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Haltemprice and HowdenWorking for Haltemprice and Howden |
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Local East Riding election result insults voters
June 16, 2007 12:00 AM
In his answer to Alan Williams' question on fair votes in The Independent (11th June) David Cameron answered that 'the first past the post system is best placed to deliver a government with a clear agenda that is closest to what the country has voted for.' So much for his modernising agenda.
Without doubt local Tories benefited from a more media friendly leader and a deeply unpopular Labour government. But the Conservative majority is not justified by its electoral support. On 41% of the vote in the East Riding using our antiquated first past the post method (designed for an illiterate 19th century electorate in a two party state) the Tories gained 70% of the seats. This is a rotten system and it has to go because it leaves too many voters under-represented.
In Haltemprice & Howden on 51% of the vote the conservatives have 78% of the seats. A more proportional result, based on 6% of the vote receiving one seat, still amplified in Tory favour would have been Con 11, (51%) Lib Dem 6, (37%) Lab 1(7%).
But in the East Riding as a whole a more proportional result would have been something like Conservatives 28 (41%), Lib Dem 19 (28%), Lab 10 (14%), Others 11 (17%). This would have shown more respect to the preferences of the East Riding electorate.