Who are the candidates and who's got your vote?

[Melancholyflower]

I agree that it does need to change, but you can't take the popular vote figures at face value. FPTP encourages tactical voting and protest voting, rather than voting for who you actually want, if you happen to live in an area which is a two horse race, and your choice isn't one of the two horses.

I think that if we ever changed to some form of Proportional voting a lot of the parties would actually get a shock and would find out that they aren't as popular as they think they are.

Correct, but I feel this would happen in the opposite sense. Labour and the Tories would lose their traditional tactical core voters, and the parties which perennially suffer under FPTP would benefit tremendously - UKIP and the Greens especially.

How many people actually voted according to their principles in this election? To me, Hazel Grove was a microcosm of the traditional marginal seat. Virtually the only points that either Tories or Lib Dems wanted to tell me about was either that voting Lib Dem would mean the destruction of Britain under Labour and SNP (David Cameron told me that twice, personally), or that it was pointless voting Labour because 'they can't win here' and therefore all Labour voters should vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out. Hardly any of the literature said why they should be elected.

Dave - agree 100% FPTP is now a mockery. It needs changing.

[marpleexile]

As I said, the Lib Dem and SNP figures were just examples  but as BG rightly points out, the results for UKIP  are equally absurd. And while we're at it, ditto the Greens. 

Until now I've had reservations about changing the voting system, but we can't go on like this.  It makes a complete mockery of democracy.

I agree that it does need to change, but you can't take the popular vote figures at face value. FPTP encourages tactical voting and protest voting, rather than voting for who you actually want, if you happen to live in an area which is a two horse race, and your choice isn't one of the two horses.

I think that if we ever changed to some form of Proportional voting a lot of the parties would actually get a shock and would find out that they aren't as popular as they think they are.

[Dave]

As I said, the Lib Dem and SNP figures were just examples  but as BG rightly points out, the results for UKIP  are equally absurd. And while we're at it, ditto the Greens. 

Until now I've had reservations about changing the voting system, but we can't go on like this.  It makes a complete mockery of democracy.   

[Bowden Guy]

Dave, surprised that you didn't mention, in your voting analysis, UKIP's  3.8 million votes (12.6% of the total votes vast) which led to the election of a single, solitary MP.

[simonesaffron]

Simone, why are you "not surprised" by the fact that I would welcome an Aldi in Marple? Please explain - I am genuinely confused. Do you think people who shop at at Aldi or Lidl are beneath you somehow?

Much as I would love to, I can't enter into a debate about this as I said in my previous post, I am off abroad and I have one foot on the plane already.

However BG as you graciously ask, I will offer a brief explanation. I do not confer any status whatsoever, low or high, on shoppers. The people that shop in Waitrose are just as good as those that shop in Lidl or anywhere else for that matter. I welcome the exchange in Marple of Asda in place of the co-op, BUT ONLY BECAUSE that particular co-op did not serve Marple well. I personally, have probably made purchases from every supermarket that there is/was at one time or another.

The reason I mention Aldi is because I happen to know that they are straining at the leash to get into Marple and the only reason that they are not already on Chadwick Street is because of local political opposition that has more concern for traffic/parking than it does for council revenue and supermarket variety. Now though, that resistance has been weakened. 

[Dave]

the nation has actually voted for more austerity

On the contrary, the Tory share of the vote was just 36.9%   So the nation (63.1% of us) actually voted for less austerity. 

But it's a stunning victory for the Tories, and all  credit to them for pulling it off.  But when you look in detail at what happened, you have to conclude that our electoral system really is broken, and it's time we sorted it out.

Much has been written about the inequitable outcome for the smaller parties - for example:

Lib Dem share of the vote: 7.9%    No of seats: 8
SNP share of the vote:   4.7%.  No of seats: 56.

But less has been said about this:

Tory share of the vote up 0.8% from 2010, resulting in a net increase of 24 seats.
Labour share of the vote up 1.5% from 2010, resulting in a net loss of 26 seats.

Eh?   

[Bowden Guy]

Simone, why are you "not surprised" by the fact that I would welcome an Aldi in Marple? Please explain - I am genuinely confused. Do you think people who shop at at Aldi or Lidl are beneath you somehow?

[amazon]

This is not really about Lisa or William. MP's have no power locally and they certainly don't have any control over money. What they do have is influence over their like minded Councillors. I don't see Willy Wragg getting anything other than a rough ride from the existing Marple Councillors.The Area Committee, which has been a force for localism will now degenerate into a party politicking squabble.

IMHO Marple has cut it's own throat. For many years it has resisted the onslaught of newness. It has stood out as a bastion of resistance to all kinds of overtures, this has been due in the main to the cohesion of its elderly Liberal, local Councillors.

What now? Aldi on Chadwick Street? Marple Bridge turning into Dodge City at the week-end ? Windlehurst Road being made into a clearway to accommodate airport traffic? High Lane, completely forgotten altogether as the new road tears its heart out. 

Any local group trying to achieve anything now, whatever it is will be given the same answer to any question - there is no money.

Yesterday the 'local' disappeared from Marple, never to return.       

completely agree with you there we've lost some good councilars .

[simonesaffron]

I'm not surprised that you'd welcome an Aldi in Chadwick Street, BG.

Anyway, I don't think it is over the top. I've observed it before with local politicians, when their political colours change and mix, they spend their time trying to undermine each other and it is the local community that suffers.

As well as this the nation has actually voted for more austerity and that's exactly what they'll get. That will be absolutely reflected in the first instance by even deeper cuts in the public services but that's something that I'm sure you'll applaud.

Anyway, I'm off to Canada for a month (family out there) so I'll see the state of the nation when I get back.   

[Bowden Guy]

Talk about "over the top".......yes, an Aldi in Marple would be great, thank you very much.

[simonesaffron]

This is not really about Lisa or William. MP's have no power locally and they certainly don't have any control over money. What they do have is influence over their like minded Councillors. I don't see Willy Wragg getting anything other than a rough ride from the existing Marple Councillors.The Area Committee, which has been a force for localism will now degenerate into a party politicking squabble.

IMHO Marple has cut it's own throat. For many years it has resisted the onslaught of newness. It has stood out as a bastion of resistance to all kinds of overtures, this has been due in the main to the cohesion of its elderly Liberal, local Councillors.

What now? Aldi on Chadwick Street? Marple Bridge turning into Dodge City at the week-end ? Windlehurst Road being made into a clearway to accommodate airport traffic? High Lane, completely forgotten altogether as the new road tears its heart out. 

Any local group trying to achieve anything now, whatever it is will be given the same answer to any question - there is no money.

Yesterday the 'local' disappeared from Marple, never to return.       

[Dave]

Well it will be a test of whether she is committed to this constituency (although I suppose the local party may have other views). I lived in Yeovil some years ago & one of the things that swung it for Paddy Ashdown in the end was that he fought and lost two elections ( I think) before succeeding. Didn't affect his natural supporters but did influence those who weren't. Mind you as here he benefitted from a long standing MP standing down.

Good point.   And that's also what happened here 20 years ago.  Stunnell stood unsuccessfully for this seat in 1992, and then came back and won it in 1997 when long-standing Tory incumbent Tom Arnold retired.

[corium]

The person most likely to disappear to London never to be seen again locally, in my opinion, is an ex resident of Putney.

Well it will be a test of whether she is committed to this constituency (although I suppose the local party may have other views). I lived in Yeovil some years ago & one of the things that swung it for Paddy Ashdown in the end was that he fought and lost two elections ( I think) before succeeding. Didn't affect his natural supporters but did influence those who weren't. Mind you as here he benefitted from a long standing MP standing down.

[moorendman]

What now for the local area .will MR WRAGG DISAPEAR TO LONDON NEVER TO BE SEEN LOCAL AGAIN .Your opnions on this /The lib dems did a lot of local work .

What has this got to do with my comment on George Galloway??

As far as the local work done by LibDems, we still have a lot of LibDem councillors. More than enough to get a few potholes filled, supervise the installation of the odd bit of playground equipment and prevaricate for decades over bypasses.

The person most likely to disappear to London never to be seen again locally, in my opinion, is an ex resident of Putney.

[amazon]

Completely second that Bowden. Next stop for that traitor is the Tower, unfortunately Hamlets.

What now for the local area .will MR WRAGG DISAPEAR TO LONDON NEVER TO BE SEEN LOCAL AGAIN .Your opnions on this /The lib dems did a lot of local work .