elections

history of UK's electoral system

before 1832, most constituencies were multi-member (you cast as many votes as there are seats)

no initial expectation of equal proportion or uniform system (this produced rotten boroughs)

old sour - removed in 1832 - only 11 people could vote (area in Wiltshire) but still sent 2 people to parliament

only in 1950 did system become what we know today

elections were not peaceful affairs

election violence very common

second reform - could not pay electorate to vote for them, but still could give them free stuff - gave them free alcohol

third reform - made ballots secret - even if still give free stuff, can't verify whether it is doing anything or not

the Levellers

• emerged during the War of the Three Kingdoms in the New Model Army, heavily influenced by the Putney Debates of 1647

• called for 'Manhood Suffrage' - one man one vote

the Chartists

a working class movement whose name draws on the Peoples Charter of 1838

• universal male suffrage

• wage for MPs

vote by secret ballot

equal representation for constituencies

annual parliaments

no property qualification

woman's suffrage

• demanding the right to vote

• initially pressure groups but embraced direct action later

would stage protests, lobby members of Hoc/L

also included direct action

this included bombing and arson in 1912-1914 by the Women's Social and Political Union

victories:

quicker victories than levellers/charters

partial in 1918

parity with men's requirements in 1928 (all women over 21)

electoral systems: Westminster

can vote:

18+

UK, Ireland or Commonwealth country

not in HoL

not serving sentence

guilty go illegal election practices

FPTP - candidate with most votes wins the seats

often called a single-member district system

electoral systems: Scottish Parliament

can vote:

16+

scotland resident

not in HoL

serving a sentence > 12 months

guilty of illegal election practices

Additional Member System - candidate with the most votes wins a constituency (73 in total), regional vote used to correct disproportionality (56 seats)

• often called mixed member proportional

electoral systems: Senedd Cymru

same as Scotland for who gets to vote

• proportional representation - a party's seat total corresponds to the percentage of vote it receives

• decided at the regional level

• 16 regions (based on 32 parliamentary constituencies)

• 6 members each

• closed list (parties chose candidates)

electoral systems: Northern Ireland Assembly

18+

UK, Ireland, Commonwealth country, Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, portugal, or Spain

• any EU country if you arrived prior to 31st December 2020

not in HoL

not serving sentence

guilty of illegal election practices

Single Transferable Vote - voters rank candidates, counting continues until sufficient number reaches quota (90 seats, 18 regions)

voters distributed from both winners and lowest vote-getters

implications of FPTP

disproportionality

we all get a member

two party system

Duvergers Law

implications of proportional systems

proportionality

more parties

coalitions

unclear accountability

the UK's party system

(until 2024)

• two major parties with broad coalitions

• plus a third party that caters to voters left behind by the other two

• (recently) a right wing populist party

• main parties cater to centre left and centre right, though factions often disrupt this

party leaders play a major role in how parties function; party membership is low

the Conservative Party

founded in 1834, but has a longer history

a loosely organised 'tories' group in the HoC from 1678

the tories themselves came from the cavaliers

centre right to right wing ideology

historically catered to minor gentry, then middle class

historically a predominant party, rapidly losing influence

the Labour Party

founded in 1900

built from trade union movement and frustration with lack of working class representation

overtook liberals as opposition to conservative in 1920

centre left ideology

consistent tension between left labour and 'right' labour

historically catered to working class, increasingly middle class

has enjoyed few uninterrupted majority governments (1945-1951, 1964-1970, 1974-1979, 1997-2010, 2024-present)

liberals/lib dems

founded in 1987 but part of longer political tradition

original liberal party founded in 1859, can be traced back to Whigs and then the Roundheads

lost status as a major party in the 1920s, almost went extinct in the 1950s

centre left to centre ideology

historically party of aristocracy who was interested in expanding democratic rights

built an educated middle class base, but also practices in localism

only enjoyed government in 2010-2015 coalition

Plaid Cymru

founded in 1925

prior Welsh nationalist movements operated within Liberals and Labour

centre left to left wing and pro welsh independence

only became explicitly left wing ~1980s

now partially operates as a left wing opposition to Labour in Wales

has enjoyed periods of co-governance with Labour in devolved Wales but remains confined to heartlands

SNP

founded in 1934 as a merger of nascent nationalist movements

centre left ad pro-Scottish independence

like Plaid Cymru, articulation of clear ideology happened later

now argues Scottish independence is a way to achieve social democracy

enjoyed limited success until devolution, has governed Scotland since 2007