Comments on: Cameron cutting seat numbers in UK

By: kme

kme — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:08:04 +0000

When tactical voting is seriously suggested, you know you have a deeply flawed electoral system.

By: Hamish Coffee

Hamish Coffee — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:22:29 +0000

*lives

By: Hamish Coffee

Hamish Coffee — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:22:00 +0000

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/poll-surge-suggests-greens-on-course-for-first-commons-seat-1863895.html

I’m pretty sure that Nick Cave lived in the middle of that electorate.

By: Ben Raue

Ben Raue — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:36:17 +0000

There was also a poll recently putting the Greens in first place and suggesting that many Labour and Lib Dem voters would be open to tactically voting Green to keep out the Tories (who polled in 2nd place).

By: Bird of paradox

Bird of paradox — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Greens get a decent vote in Brighton Pavilion. Results in 2005 were:

Labour 35.4
Conservative 23.9
Green 22.0
Liberal Democrat 16.5

Under preferential voting, that would’ve been a quite likely Green win – they’d've got to second on Lib Dem prefs, then probably beat Labour on Tory (anti-Labour) prefs. As is, the Greens probably have their best chance if the Lib Dems play dead or don’t run. Their candidate is Caroline Lucas, who’s leader of the UK Greens and an MEP in the EU parliament, so fairly high-profile.

Also, the Greens have 13 councillors out of 52 on Brighton and Hove city council.

By: Hamish Coffee

Hamish Coffee — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:16:15 +0000

Do the UK Greens have a shot anywhere? You won’t find me celebrating any Tory victory, but at least Cameron seems like a relatively progressive Tory (if only compared to, say, Thatcher or Tony Abbott).

By: MDMConnell

MDMConnell — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:41:46 +0000

Surely a better way to achieve ‘fairness’ is to get more accurate and up-to-date enrolment/population data? UK Polling Report says redistributions are based on population data from up to ten years ago. Why can’t they do what Australia does and base it on a 3-5 year forward projection?

By: Harry Hayfield

Harry Hayfield — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:01:48 +0000

Yes, that is indeed correct. David Cameron has said that he wishes to reduce the House from it’s future 650 MP’s to 585 MP’s (which will mean an average electorate of about 77,000). A forum I am a member of did some calculations based on this estimate and came to the conclusion that it would actually hurt the Conservatives instead of help them.