Voting System

A poll commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and reported in today’s Guardian and by Stuart Weir indicates that 75 per cent of those questioned believe either that the UK’s system of government could be ‘improved a great deal’ or that it could be improved ‘quite a lot’. A mere 3 per cent suggest that the system works well and could not be improved at all. The poll also suggests a clear majority – over 60 per cent - would be in favour of a more proportional electoral system.

The question asking survey respondents to assess the current system for governing Britain has been asked in an identical form in 15 surveys since 1973 and on a regular basis since 1991.  The ‘net’ score of -50 per cent in 2009 for faith in the system (calculated as the percentage largely in favour of leaving the system alone minus the percentage suggesting significant reforms are required) is the second lowest ever recorded (narrowly beaten only by the score of -53 per cent in 1995). The 42 per cent proportion responding that the system needs a great deal of improvement is the highest ever.

The results for 2009 are hardly surprising, other than for the fact that there are 3 per cent who somehow continue to believe that the system ‘works extremely well and could not be improved’. Likewise, nobody doubts that support for major constitutional and electoral reforms has received an enormous boost from the revelations surrounding MPs expenses. But everyone knows that these are exceptional times politically. To what extent do poll results like this reflect a deep-seated desire for system reforms?

Jon Bright (London, OK): OurKingdom was founded partly in the belief that points of "crisis" - when flaws in the current system can no longer be ignored - provide opportunities for democratic change and reform, and that the UK might be approaching one (what Anthony has called a "good crisis"). Several potential crises have already been well documented on these pages, but the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust have  released a report (opens pdf) today outlining another one: the real possibility of large scale electoral fraud in the upcoming local elections.

Jon Bright (London, OK): After news seeped out about House of Lords reform last week, further indications of what is to come in the draft constitutional reform bill (which should emerge tomorrow) have surfaced. It appears the UK is to get a new voting system - AV, to be precise - which Sunder Katwala recommended back when Brown looked likely to win a landslide. Apparent concerns about having a second chamber which could be seen as "more legitimate" than the first (when the House of Lords moves to a PR system) were part of the motivating factor. The government will publish a consultation paper soon, which will also look at weekend voting and compulsory voting as ways of boosting turnout.

Jon Bright (London, OK): Some time ago Alex Parsons floated his idea of the Delegated Vote on these pages. He's refined the system somewhat, and wants to present it again - he's even done up the following snazzy video to explain it all:

Jon Bright (London, OK): As a fistful of polling cards are stuffed through my front door, containing the full names and register numbers of all the 10 or so people that live in my small block of flats, I am reminded of this Times story which I saw yesterday (via Political Betting). Mr Eshaq Khan, a Conservative councillor in Slough, was found guilty of rigging his election using loose postal vote rules, and stripped of his seat. In last year's local elections he won his seat by 119 votes - many of which now turn out to have been fabricated. Labour MP for Slough Fiona MacTaggart said "I am very pleased that we have seen our democracy work," apparently without a trace of irony.

Peter Emerson (Belfast, de Borda Institute): Most problems in life are multi-optional...if, that is, the question is asked correctly. Unfortunately, many politicians ask only closed, yes-or-no questions. Take, for example, the debate on Iraq in 2002. There were many possibilities: war, sanctions, inspections, and so on. On the table, however, there was only a single resolution, number 1441. This led to the crazy situation whereby France, for one, voted in favour of something it did not actually like. The outcome of that vote was therefore almost meaningless: because the question was phrased as a closed one.

Stuart Weir (Cambridge, Democratic Audit): What is potentially a highly significant political struggle is being fought by an alliance of left-wing Labour and trade union members, the churches and Searchlight (the anti-Fascist magazine and organisation), against the British National Party. This struggle is largely grassroots, and it rarely if ever gains the oxygen of publicity it should have. As Jon Cruddas, Labour MP for Dagenham where the BNP have long been active, says: "The BNP is emerging as a significant threat throughout the country. It averaged 14.7 per cent in the 742 wards it contested in this year's local elections, now has 47 councillors and, left unchecked, could gain MEPs in the next European Elections." Professor Helen Margetts, at Oxford, is also conducting research that indicates that the BNP's unpopularity among voters is receding.