First-past-the-post: a rogue’s practice?
How did ‘first-past-the-post’ voting – the common target of election reform campaigns in Britain, Canada and the US – get its famous name? “FPTP” is really just a plurality criterion: … Continue reading
UK House of Commons debates proportional representation
The debate over electoral reform for the United Kingdom has moved a small step forward, with a debate in the House of Commons on the subject. In response to well-supported … Continue reading
UK Conservatives’ early election call cost them majority
Had UK Prime Minister Theresa May waited several months to call an election, her Conservative government might have retained its House of Commons majority in a smaller Parliament, even on … Continue reading
Will the UK ever get revised electoral boundaries?
The UK Government is pondering yet another major delay to a redistribution of House of Commons constituency boundaries, according to a report in The Times. If true, the House of … Continue reading
Scottish may be the key to UK electoral reform
If at any time soon the British Parliament legislates to reform the nation’s electoral system, it will almost certainly require the support of the Scottish National Party. After the recent … Continue reading
Millions of British Voters Had No Choice
Millions of Britons could not exercise a proper choice at last June’s national elections, according to a new report from the British Electoral Reform Society. The ERS report condemns the continued … Continue reading
Next UK electoral boundaries will leave ‘youth surge’ out
By late 2018 Britain is set to have new constituency boundaries for future House of Commons elections. But they will be based on December 2015 voter registration numbers, leaving out … Continue reading
The present – and near future – of UK tactical voting
Was the hung-parliament result of this month’s British elections affected by tactical voting? Indeed it was – and even more so will the next election be, if it is held … Continue reading
Irish Unionists are nervous as vote patterns shift
The UK government stumbling towards a political accomodation with the Irish unionist DUP party comes at a time of increasing edginess for the unionist movement. Voters in both the Republic … Continue reading
Lack of compromise training may hurt English Conservatives
English Tory politicians may rue the fact that decades of devotion to the first-part-the-post system leaves them untrained in the art of multi-party compromise. After Thursday’s shock election result, a … Continue reading
On Elections 