FPTP analysis

Total score: 10.5/20!

Proportionality/party representation — 3 evaluative points

1/5 :(

• Fosters a 2 party system

• Isn’t proportional if party lacks regional concentration

• There aren’t any rewards for coming second

Proportionality/party representation — 4 examples

1983- LibDems got 25.4% of the votes but 3.5% of the seats

1997- Labour got 43% of the votes and 63% of the seats

2015- UKIP got 4m votes, came 2nd in 120 constituencies and got 1 seat

2019- SNP got 50% of the votes yet 95% of the seats in Scotland

Voter choice — 5 evaluative points

2/5

• Simple system

• Aspect of false choice and wasted vote

  • Tactical voting can remove voter choice, especially in marginal seats

  • No choice in safe seats

  • No rewards for coming 2nd

  • If you don’t vote for the winning party, your vote essentially did nothing

• Lots of parties on ballot but smaller parties have little opportunity to influence policy

• More choice in marginal seats, but only between main parties

• Votes not all of equal value- are arguably worth more in marginal seats

Voter choice — 3 examples

2010- Lab+Con got 65% of the vote, a post-war low

2017- Lab+Con got 83% of the vote, which is the biggest since 1970

Votes per seat is inversely proportional- the bigger the party, the fewer votes per seat

• Green - 485,951

• Labour - 23,622

Strong and stable govt — 4 evaluative points

3.5/5

• Manifestos can be carried out due to the electoral mandate in a way they cannot in PR systems

• Majority control (caused by the winner’s bonus) allows for stability and easy passing of laws

  • Also causes tyranny of the majority

• Ideologically united parties/govts can stay in office for a full term

• Coalition govts often weak as have to have legislative support from 2 or more parties

Strong and stable gov’t — 5 examples

• Johnson ran a tyranny of the majority, with the PPE and partygate scandals

• Minority govts, such as Wilson 1974 and May 2017 were weak

• Most govts last a full term, and ideologically united ones such as Blair last even longer

  • On the other hand, May and Cameron’s ideologically divided govts did not last long

• The 2010 coalition was unstable

• Majorities have a huge effect, May and Johnson struggled to pass any legislation until Johnson gained the majority and managed to pass the Brexit bill

Constituency-voter link — 6 evaluative points

4/5

• Visible channel of communication lost under PR

• MPs represent the interests of their constituents to the govt

• Transparency and accountability achieved

• Mandate democracy- govt confirms post if does well

• Not truly representative due to representation on plurality, not majority

• More constituents vote against their MP than for them

Constituency-voter link — 5 examples

• Ellie Reeves sent a letter to her constituents post-3-day water outage to show her support and actions she took to get the water back, and then did this during an extended period of water works that were disrupting both roads and water access

• Zarah Sultana and other MPs were suspended for supporting the abolition of the 2 child benefit cap

• Sultana has been outspoken about Gaza in support of her majority muslim constituency

• Zac Goldsmith, Tory MP, said he would stand down to protest the 3rd runway and did

• Nicky Morgan voted against gay marriage due to the views of her constituents despite that not aligning with her view or that of her party