Conservative Party's chronicles

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

If you made voting mandatory, you would be requiring people with no interest in politics who don’t even know the name or party of the current prime minister to select a name that they have ever heard of.

How, in anyone’s world, is that acceptable?

Not sure about mandatory voting, but we should certainly make it easier. Some of the latest policies like voter id (when there wasnt an issue) seem to be designed to stop people voting. Allow voting online, and voting over a weekend.

Make everyones vote count - under the current system your vote only really matters if youre in a 'swing' constituency. A safe seat and many dont see the point. Folks feel obliged to tactically vote for partys they dont really back.

The bigger turnout the better, regardless of who you support.The Govt would have more legitimacy with a higher turnout/fairer voting system

The trade-off is a disconnect between voters and their representatives. It’s impossible to get rid of any of the utterly odious greens in the Scottish parliament, for example, because all of them are elected off a regional list where you vote for a party rather than an individual from that party. The top few names on the list will always get returned to Parliament as long as the party polls 7-10% overall, no matter how manifestly batsh** they’ve behaved over the course of a 5-year term.

When the Tories refused to do the decent thing and deselect Neil Hamilton ahead of the 1997 election, Martin Bell stood as an independent in Tatton and unseated him. Had there been a regional list for that part of England, Hamilton, as a safe-seat candidate, would also have been near the top of the regional list and almost certainly would still have been an MP from 1997-2001.

[Anonymouse]

Originally Posted by Mr K

The Govt would have more legitimacy with a higher turnout/fairer voting system

You mean the current lot aren't legitimate? Well, that explains everything!

[Sephiroth]

Mr K carefully said "more legitimacy". He didn't question the government's legitimacy per se. Within the law, they are the legitimate government. Within emotion, more legitimacy would arise with greater turnout. Different nuance on the word "legitimacy".

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

The Wokingham Constituency has been Conservative for donkey’s ages, but recently, the dissatisfaction with them has been demonstrated in the ballot boxes, with the Lib Dems now in charge with a majority of one. There is growing dissatisfaction with their administration, and my guess is that former Conservative supporters will vote Reform in their droves come the next council election.

Presumably the right-wing vote got split two ways. Labour will never get in so could be a safe Liberal Democrat seat for a while if there is no electoral pact between Reform UK and the Conservatives.

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Presumably the right-wing vote got split two ways. Labour will never get in so could be a safe Liberal Democrat seat for a while if there is no electoral pact between Reform UK and the Conservatives.

Not sure it’s a simple as that - the Conservatives have been steadily losing Council Seat in Wokingham Borough Council for the last seven years (they always used to have 40+ seats).

Year Conservative—LD—Labour
2018 42——————8——-3
2019 31—————-16——-4
2021 31—————-18——-3
2022 26—————-23——-3
2023 22—————-26——-5
New ward boundaries (54 seats)
2024 19————-—27——-8

Could be a number of factors, including changing demographics…

[Sephiroth]

I obviously know Wokingham as well as OB. OB is right - "anyone but the Tories". Demographics haven't changed in the past couple of years.

Reform UK has a higher profile now and they could well split the conservative vote, leaving the wretched Lib Dems in power.

How do you explain the changes in Local Election voting over the last 8 years?

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Hugh

How do you explain the changes in Local Election voting over the last 8 years?

May, Boris, Truss, Sunak.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I understand your point, OB; but isn't it rather cynical to hope that the great unwashed avoid voting? As soon as they are made to vote, their interest is likely to rise, if only to vote NOTA or spoil their ballots.

I didn’t say anything about the great unwashed. There are people from many walks of life who have no interest or much knowledge about politics.