Evaluate The Argument That First Past The Post Is The Most Effective Electoral System Currently In Use In The United Kingdom.

Question 1

P1: Representation and Proportionality Disagree

Answer 1

1. First Past the Post (FPTP) is unrepresentative:
   Elected MPs often lack majority support. Vote shares don’t match seat allocation. FPTP benefits the party with the most votes, creating a ‘winner’s bonus’.
2. Example: In the 2024 election, Labour won 63% of seats with only 33.7% of the vote, while Reform UK got 14.3% of the vote but only 5 seats.
3. Alternative electoral systems: Single Transferable Vote (STV) is more proportional, using multi-member constituencies. Additional Member System (AMS) adjusts for proportionality with a ‘top-up’ vote.
4. Example: Under STV, the 2024 election would have seen Labour win 264 seats and Reform UK 71 seats, better reflecting vote shares

Question 2

P1: Agree Coalitions and MPs constituency link

Answer 2

1. Leads to coalition or minority governments, weakening single-party rule. Slows down the government formation process.
2. MP-constituency link under FPTP: Stronger local representation and accountability. Example: December 2023, 22 Conservative MPs supported a Labour amendment for faster compensation for infected blood scandal victims, influenced by local constituency movements.
3. Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP, rebelled due to strong local pressure from victims in her constituency.

Question 3

P2: Disagree Voter Choice

Answer 3

1. Voters only have one vote, restricting their ability to express nuanced political preferences.
   Many votes are ‘wasted’ for losing parties, leading to tactical voting where voters choose a different party to block their least favourite, rather than voting for their preferred party.
2. 2024: 1/5 of voters intended to vote tactically; 58% ended up with an MP they didn’t vote for.
3. Unequal vote value under FPTP: Smaller constituencies and safe seats result in unequal vote value. Safe seats: Lower voter turnout, as many feel their vote won’t count (e.g., Manchester Rusholme had a 40% turnout in 2024).
4. Marginal seats: Higher voter turnout due to intense campaign focus (e.g., Thanet South is a highly contested marginal seat).
5. Improved voter choice in AMS: Voters have 2 votes: one for a constituency representative (like FPTP), and another for a party. Allows splitting the ticket and supporting different parties, benefiting minor parties (e.g., 2021 Scottish Parliament: Greens got 8 seats despite just 1.29% constituency vote). Highest voter choice in STV: Voters rank candidates by preference, with multiple candidates elected from multi-member constituencies.
   Voters can fully express their political preferences, including choosing candidates from the same party.

Question 4

P2: Agree Quick

Answer 4

1. Easy for voters: Only one candidate/party to select. Quick results: In 2024, Sunderland South’s result was announced by 23:15, and the new Prime Minister, Starmer, was at Downing Street by 12:40pm the next day.
2. Public support: In the 2011 AV referendum, 68% voted against changing the system, partly due to familiarity and simplicity of FPTP.
3. Issues with more complex systems (AMS & STV):
   Voter confusion: More complicated systems can lead to mistakes or ‘donkey voting’. 2019 Northern Ireland elections: In District Electoral Areas, alphabetical order influenced results, with first-listed candidates winning 85% of the time.
4. 2024 Senedd vote: Transitioned to a Closed Party List system for simplicity, giving voters only one vote for a party instead of two.

Question 5

P3: Agree Strong Single Party Government

Answer 5

1. Produces strong single-party governments with clear mandates. Enables effective law-making and implementation of government policies.
2. Historical examples: Thatcher in the 1980s, Blair in 1997, and Starmer’s 2024 Labour government, which had a 174-seat majority despite only 33.7% of the vote.
3. Quick formation of government (e.g., results known by the morning after polling day, government formed within 24 hours). Drawbacks of proportional systems:
4. AMS: Leads to coalition or minority governments, which can be weak and unstable (e.g., the 2024 Scottish government collapse after criticism from the Greens). STV: Almost always results in coalition governments, prone to conflict and indecision (e.g., Northern Ireland Assembly suspension from 2022 to 2024 due to a lack of agreement between the DUP and Sinn Fein).
5. Scottish Local Elections: In 2022, 94% of councils had no overall control due to STV, leading to weak and fragmented governance.

Question 6

P3: Disagree Not Always The Case

Answer 6

1. Weak Governments Under FPTP: FPTP has led to weak governments, such as the 2010 Lib Dem-Conservative coalition and the Confidence and Supply Agreement between Conservatives and the DUP in 2017.
2. Legitimacy and Majority Support: Even when FPTP produces strong governments, these governments may lack majority public support, weakening their legitimacy despite their strength in Parliament.
3. Coalitions as Positive: Coalitions are not necessarily negative. For example, Scottish governments, often formed through coalition or minority arrangements, have been stable and have passed significant reforms. Compromise within coalitions can lead to more representative and considered policies