Politically safe seats.

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Discussion

crankedup

Original Poster:

25,764 posts

243 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
Conservative or Labour so called safe seats are not in the best interests of our political system?
The M.P. or local Council Member concerned should not enjoy unfettered access and power by a system of voting that allows for a tiny minority of people to ensure such a situation?
My own experience of this current system ensures that my democratic vote is simply wasted whilst other voters are simply now staying at home rather than voting' not worth voting as my candidate will never be elected' attitude. If you agree or not this cannot be good for our democracy or peoples interest in politics?

BeeRoad

684 posts

162 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
So you want all seats to be marginals? Daft.

tubbystu

3,846 posts

260 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
It is not ideal obviously, but has always been that way, and is unlikely to ever change. Even if they shuffled all the boundaries you would never get into a position that sufficient Tory voters were in the catchment area of say Liverpool Central, or South Bucks for Labour voters etc.

Every individual has a single vote. In some locations those that think politically alike have tended to live in the same area with similar political aspirations.

How much locally do you perceive your MP to do ? If you tend to vote against the local norm, local elections are far more likely for you to get a candidate of your chosen political bent.

There are many areas where say the supposed natural choice Tory MP has a Lib Dem council or vice versa etc.

If you really want your national vote to count you'll need to move to a marginal constituency..............

crankedup

Original Poster:

25,764 posts

243 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
tubbystu said:
It is not ideal obviously, but has always been that way, and is unlikely to ever change. Even if they shuffled all the boundaries you would never get into a position that sufficient Tory voters were in the catchment area of say Liverpool Central, or South Bucks for Labour voters etc.

Every individual has a single vote. In some locations those that think politically alike have tended to live in the same area with similar political aspirations.

How much locally do you perceive your MP to do ? If you tend to vote against the local norm, local elections are far more likely for you to get a candidate of your chosen political bent.

There are many areas where say the supposed natural choice Tory MP has a Lib Dem council or vice versa etc.

If you really want your national vote to count you'll need to move to a marginal constituency..............
It is fair comments that you make and most likely correct, the issue of corruption and / or laziness aspects of those Members who enjoy the safe seat. Further we see the Political use of the parachute candidates which is quite possibly the worst abuse of the current system. With such a lack of interest in politics currently there has to be a better way.

s2art

18,937 posts

253 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
crankedup said:
tubbystu said:
It is not ideal obviously, but has always been that way, and is unlikely to ever change. Even if they shuffled all the boundaries you would never get into a position that sufficient Tory voters were in the catchment area of say Liverpool Central, or South Bucks for Labour voters etc.

Every individual has a single vote. In some locations those that think politically alike have tended to live in the same area with similar political aspirations.

How much locally do you perceive your MP to do ? If you tend to vote against the local norm, local elections are far more likely for you to get a candidate of your chosen political bent.

There are many areas where say the supposed natural choice Tory MP has a Lib Dem council or vice versa etc.

If you really want your national vote to count you'll need to move to a marginal constituency..............
It is fair comments that you make and most likely correct, the issue of corruption and / or laziness aspects of those Members who enjoy the safe seat. Further we see the Political use of the parachute candidates which is quite possibly the worst abuse of the current system. With such a lack of interest in politics currently there has to be a better way.
See Dan Hannan on open primaries. By giving the voters the power to select their MP for a given party it reduces the problem you mention.

tubbystu

3,846 posts

260 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
crankedup said:
Further we see the Political use of the parachute candidates which is quite possibly the worst abuse of the current system.
That does suck, yes. An MP should certainly have a local interest and really come from the local population and have worked up through local politics.

If they are parachuted in, and there are some pro's as well as the con's, they should certainly at least have to move their primary household and live within the constituency, or at worst in an adjacent one.

Because we now have very little obviously separating the three main parties core policies, voter apathy will probably not improve.

One of the parties need to find a radical alternative policy the public can openly discuss and decide upon. It could be EU membership, it could be our nuclear deterrent, it could be driving on the right. At least it would get political discussion moving. It would need to come from an opposition party probably, as they are less constrained.

The days of conviction politicians are sadly a way behind us now though. The media have plenty to answer for in the denegration of our political system and the people willing to enter it. It shouldn't be a career. It should be a calling, particularly one latter in life.

MX7

7,902 posts

174 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
crankedup said:
The M.P. or local Council Member concerned should not enjoy unfettered access and power by a system of voting that allows for a tiny minority of people to ensure such a situation?
If it's a safe seat, it's the majority that make it so.

crankedup

Original Poster:

25,764 posts

243 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
MX7 said:
crankedup said:
The M.P. or local Council Member concerned should not enjoy unfettered access and power by a system of voting that allows for a tiny minority of people to ensure such a situation?
If it's a safe seat, it's the majority that make it so.
Yes of course, but it brings with it the problems that I have mentioned. In too many seats the electorate turn out is tiny.

crankedup

Original Poster:

25,764 posts

243 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
s2art said:
crankedup said:
tubbystu said:
It is not ideal obviously, but has always been that way, and is unlikely to ever change. Even if they shuffled all the boundaries you would never get into a position that sufficient Tory voters were in the catchment area of say Liverpool Central, or South Bucks for Labour voters etc.

Every individual has a single vote. In some locations those that think politically alike have tended to live in the same area with similar political aspirations.

How much locally do you perceive your MP to do ? If you tend to vote against the local norm, local elections are far more likely for you to get a candidate of your chosen political bent.

There are many areas where say the supposed natural choice Tory MP has a Lib Dem council or vice versa etc.

If you really want your national vote to count you'll need to move to a marginal constituency..............
It is fair comments that you make and most likely correct, the issue of corruption and / or laziness aspects of those Members who enjoy the safe seat. Further we see the Political use of the parachute candidates which is quite possibly the worst abuse of the current system. With such a lack of interest in politics currently there has to be a better way.
See Dan Hannan on open primaries. By giving the voters the power to select their MP for a given party it reduces the problem you mention.
Thanks for info', I shall look it up.

Kermit power

28,655 posts

213 months

Sunday 2nd January 2011
quotequote all
tubbystu said:
It is not ideal obviously, but has always been that way, and is unlikely to ever change. Even if they shuffled all the boundaries you would never get into a position that sufficient Tory voters were in the catchment area of say Liverpool Central
Except that's not actually true. Until 1968, Liverpool West Derby was a Conservative seat, Liverpool Garston as recently as 1979 and Crosby - admittedly hardly central Liverpool - until 1997.

At a council level, Liverpool was actually one of the last cities that Labour won, and the Tories ran it for most of the first half of the 20th century.