Annette Brooke Supports Campaign For Democracy
May 25, 2005 5:51 PM
Annette Brooke supports campaign for democracy
Annette Brooke MP has given her backing to the Campaign for Democracy. The campaign, run by The Independent newspaper, calls on the Labour government to address the issue of electoral reform. The 2005 general election produced a weak democratic mandate. The Labour majority of 67 equates to 55.1% of seats. However, this was based on only 35.2% of the UK vote. Indeed, Labour were supported by just 9.6m of the 44.6m voters and, with the election turnout standing at just 61.3%, the government received the support of only 21.6% of the electorate.
In Dorset, the Liberal Democrats received 32.85% of the vote, yet acquired only one (12.5%) of the seats. Contrast this with the Conservatives who received 44.08% of the vote but six (75.0%) seats, and Labour who received 18.33% of the vote for their one (12.5%) seat. Votes for other parties totalled 4.74% and receive no representation in Parliament.
In contrast, the national result proved that overall Labour could win seats more easily than any other party. Labour required 22,877 votes per MP, compared to 44,521 for the Conservatives and a staggering 96,378 for the Liberal Democrats.
In their 1997 election manifesto, Labour proposed looking at reform of the electoral system. In 1998, they commissioned the Jenkins report, which proposed a more proportional system for elections. However, 7 years on, Labour are yet to address the issue and now even suggest there is no appetite for such reform. Annette, along with thousands of others, disagrees and has signed up to The Independent's campaign (www.independent.co.uk/cfd/democracy.jsp) and another run by the pressure group Make My Vote Count (www.makemyvotecount.org.uk), and urges others to do likewise.
Annette Brooke said "It is vital for the sake of our democracy that every individual voter believes their vote matters and can make a difference, not just those who live in marginal seats where the vote is close".
Annette is supported by Lord Rennard, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for electoral reform, who not only believes the current First Past the Post system is stuck in the nineteenth century, but also that voting should take place at the weekend. This, he says, would help bolster turnout by assisting those who have difficulty getting to the polling station on a Thursday.
ENDS
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