Political issues - Electoral systems

Question 1

What is the ideal criteria that a voting system should aim to achieve?

Answer 1

• Wide-ranging choice
• Fair representation of different social groups
• Fair representation of party support (proportionality)
• A strong constituency-representative link
• A strong government that can implement policies

Question 2

What is the FPTP system used for?

Answer 2

The UK parliament

Question 3

What is AMS used for?

Answer 3

AMS is used for the Scottish parliament

Question 4

How does FPTP work, in terms of voting?

Answer 4

• The UK consists of 650 equal constituencies
• Each constituency elects one representative
• The candidate with the most votes is elected
• They do no need a majority, simply having the most votes in enough

Question 5

What are the issues with FPTP and voter choice?

Answer 5

• Voter choice is limited
• Each voter only gets one vote and there is only one candidate per constituency
• Voters who like a party but the the candidate are unable to register that opinion without rejecting the party

Question 6

What are some statistics regarding FPTP and representation for women?

Answer 6

• In 2019 220 of the 650 MPs were female
• In 2010, only 141 were female

Question 7

What are some statistic regarding FPTP and BAME?

Answer 7

• In 2019 65 of the 650 MPs were from BAME groups
• Around 13% of the population are from BAME groups, only 10% of MPs are from BAME groups

Question 8

What are some statistics regarding FPTP and proportionality?

Answer 8

• The conservatives have 44% of the vote but 56% of the seats
• Labour has 32% of the vote and 31% of the seats
• The Lib-Dems have 12% of the vote and 2% of the seats
• FPTP is deeply disproportional

Question 9

Describe FPTP and constituency-representative links?

Answer 9

• Each constituency has a single candidate, chosen by the electorate, it can be said they were personally chosen
• By-elections are used if an MP vacates their seat, therefore the constituency does not always choose the representative
• MP’s who change parties do not have to vacate their seats

Question 10

What are some examples of FPTP creating a strong government?

Answer 10

• FPTP tends to magnify the margin of victory; small margin of victory but amplified number of MP’s
• In 2019 the Conservatives beat Labour by 11% of votes but got 25% of seats
• The 2010-2015 conservatives were able to introduce Universal credit and implement large-scale public spending cuts

Question 11

What is an example of FPTP not magnifying the margin of victory?

Answer 11

In 2017 the conservatives had 42% of votes and 49% of seats, i.e. still no majority of MP’s

Question 12

How does AMS work, regarding voting?

Answer 12

• One candidate is chosen by FPTP
• One party is chosen by Party List
• i.e. one vote for candidate, one vote for party list

Question 13

How is AMS, regarding voter choice?

Answer 13

• Voters have a ‘split ticket’, providing more choice than both FPTP and Party list
• However, there is still limited choice when regarding choosing candidates of the same party

Question 14

What are some statistics regarding AMS and social representation of women MSP’s?

Answer 14

• In 2016 45 of the 129 MSP’s were female
• In 2001 27.5% of the SNP were female, in 2016 this number was 43%

Question 15

Why, in AMS, is the number of women MSP’s not proportional to the % of the population?

Answer 15

Because the conservatives do not do any form of affirmative action.

Question 16

What are some statistics regarding AMS and BAME groups?

Answer 16

• in 2016 2 of the 129 (2%) MSP’s were from BAME groups, Scotland is 5% BAME.

Question 17

What are the party percentages regarding AMS and proportionality - SNP?

Answer 17

SNP: 42% of lost votes, 49% of seats, 81% FPTP seats

Question 18

What percentage of total and FPTP seats does the next most popular party have compared to the SNP?

Answer 18

Conservative: 24% total seats, 10% FPTP seats.
SNP: 50% total seats, 80% FPTP seats.

Question 19

Regarding the creation of a strong government, how effective is AMS?

Answer 19

• AMS typically leads to ‘hung parliaments’, something typically associated with the creation of a weak government.
• However, these governments have been able to introduce significant policies such as; The independence referendum (2014), Minimum unit pricing (2018), Social security (2019).
• AMS may not cause a strong government but it does not prevent it