May 2010
20 posts
“Gove’s book is a confused epic of simplistic incomprehension, riddled with more...”
– A review of a book by our new Education Secretary (though, we’re lucky he’s not in charge of the foreign office) - A global crisis of understanding review | Non-fiction book reviews - Times Online
New Statesman - The Liberal Democrat surrender →
AV and a fully elected Lords? In the confusion...
From the Labour Party Manifesto:
“To ensure that every MP is supported by the majority of their constituents voting at each election, we will hold a referendum on introducing the Alternative Vote for elections to the House of Commons.
We will ensure that the hereditary principle is removed from the House of Lords. Further democratic reform to create a fully elected Second Chamber will...
“the best hope was that in the middle of the confusion Caroline Lucas of the...”
– Mark Steel’s Blog : Adventures in politics
“one smartly dressed man was so overcome by the day’s high tension that he...”
– The Guardian
1,197 people away from a LabLib majority
If just 1,197 people (0.004% of voters), in key marginal seats, had voted for Labour or the Lib Dems instead of the Conservatives, then a LabLib coalition would have had a majority.
Here’s where those votes needed to be:
Warwickshire North = 27 [C -> Lab] Camborne and Redruth = 33 [C -> LD] Thurrock = 46 [C -> Lab] Hendon = 53 [C -> Lab] Oxford West and Abingdon = 88 [C ->...
The 15,667,992 people whose vote didn't matter
Last Wednesday 15,667,992 people voted for a candidate who did not win. That’s 53% of the people who voted. Less than half of the people who voted will be represented by the candidate they supported.
Here is a breakdown by party, it shows the number of “wasted” votes the party received, and also gives that as a percentage of the total number of votes the party received.
OTHER...
The 7,992 people whose votes really mattered
If just 7,992 people, in key marginals, had voted differently (for the Conservatives, rather than the winning party), the Conservatives would have secured an overall majority.
That’s just 0.03% of the total number of people who voted.
This is where the Tories needed those votes:
Hampstead and Kilburn = 22 [Lab] Bolton West = 47 [Lab] Solihull = 88 [LD] Southampton Itchen = 97 [Lab] Dorset...
Johann Hari: What we'll lose if we reject Labour -... →
Johann Hari: Welcome to Cameron land - The... →
A preview of what David Cameron’s “Big Society” will actually look like, from a Conservative council he is “proud” of.
Tactical voting: Do you live in one of the top 100... →
“As a young man Cameron looked out on the social carnage of pit closures and mass...”
– I hate Tories. And yes, it’s tribal | Gary Younge | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
“You don’t have to scrape off much of the glitter and gloss to get to...”
– Cameron is concealing his inner Bush : Johann Hari