Would elections be fairer if seats in Parliament reflected how we voted?

This is a question we often ask people when we’re out campaigning, and the answer is always a clear ‘Yes’. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? A principle at the heart of democracy – that Parliament and its MPs are supposed to represent us, their constituents.

Yet under our current voting system, that’s not the case. Most governments get into power with less than 50% of the votes, meaning that politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and whose views most of us disagree with can govern the UK how they like.

We’re Make Votes Matter North Lancashire, part of the national, cross-party Make Votes Matter campaign for Proportional Representation (PR), and we think it’s time that changed. It’s time that the UK, in line with most other developed democracies around the world, adopted a form of proportional representation for general elections.

If you’re interested in finding out more, or would like to be kept updated about the campaign events we have lined up for 2022 – a PR workshop, information stalls in Kendal and Morecambe and a big old Walk for Democracy – then email us at mvmnorthlancashire@outlook.com or follow us on social media (see the links on the right). We’d love to hear from you!

Our local politicians on proportional representation

In November 2021, we invited four northwest politicians from different political parties to answer questions on PR and its role in improving our democracy:

Cat Smith	David Morris	Gina Dowding	Tim Farron
Labour MP for Lancaster & Fleetwood	Conservative MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale	Green Party Lancaster City & Lancashire County Councillor	Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale

This is what they told us.*

Q1: The UK is the only developed democracy in Europe (apart from Belarus) that doesn't use some form of proportional representation for general elections. Why do you think this is?

Cat Smith	Our Parliament has evolved over several centuries from a largely feudal system to the democracy we see today … There has not really been one revolutionary moment resulting in radical democratic reforms. We have had more piecemeal changes. The current Elections Bill … is regressive change … we are actually sliding backwards under the Conservative Government.
David Morris	No response provided
Gina Dowding	Historically, the two largest parties have had the most to gain from our current system. It guarantees an unfair distribution of seats, enabling one or other of the two large parties to form a government with a minority of votes cast. Our system is the result of democratic rights and institutions gradually being grafted on to a centuries-old feudal monarchy. A true democracy should ensure that power flows up from the people. It is shocking that the UK has not reformed its electoral system, given that it has advised other states such as Germany and Ireland to implement proportional representation.
Tim Farron	Because the two larger parties don't want to share power with anyone else and fear that electoral reform will end a situation where they can hope to hold 100% of power on less than 40% of the votes!

Q2: What effect do you think proportional representation would have if it was introduced for UK general elections?

Cat Smith	It would mean that the plurality of views across the UK would be better represented in our Parliament. It would be unlikely that one party could obtain a majority in Parliament on its own, and my hope is that this would lead to a more consensual, less adversarial form of politics.
David Morris	There would be influence by parties with minimal public support, who would end up holding the balance of power.
Gina Dowding	A huge, positive transformation of our political culture. The immediate effect would be an end to the concept of a ‘wasted vote’, ensuring a more engaged electorate. More MPs would be elected from smaller parties, representing more accurately the range of political views and aspirations held by the public. PR would result in broader, multi-party government, with coalition building and compromise becoming the norm rather than a novelty, and a less adversarial and more respectful political culture.
Tim Farron	It would increase voter participation and political engagement because everyone's vote would count - not just the handful who get to vote for one of the key protagonists in a marginal seat.

Q3: What is your main reason for supporting / not supporting proportional representation?

Cat Smith	Democracy is precious and is something which we should all value. People are only going to stand up for democracy if they feel part of the democratic process. Fundamentally, this means feeling that their vote actually makes a difference. I don’t think that changing the voting system alone will ‘fix’ the issues of disillusionment and disconnection from democracy in the UK. We also need to look at political and media literacy, education and devolution, and an elected House of Lords, for example.
David Morris	I do not agree with Proportional Representation and I fully support Britain’s long-standing national electoral system. It allows voters to kick out the politicians who don’t deliver. It provides for stable and effective governance. Democracy is seen to be done. There is a link between constituents and their representatives in Westminster.
Gina Dowding	It is a matter of fundamental fairness and social justice that all votes should be weighted equally in the voting system. PR would give voters the opportunity to vote for what they actually want, rather than the ‘least worst’ option. Some forms of PR would retain the important link between MPs and their constituencies, and make representation in Parliament proportionate to voters’ wishes.
Tim Farron	That one party should not be able to dictate the direction of our country when most people voted against it! There is no way that you can describe that as democracy. In this country we have elections, but not democracy.

Q4: How could we introduce a fairer electoral system in which people feel that their votes matter and their views are represented?

Cat Smith	Any change that we make to our electoral system needs to command the support of the public, so that it’s not viewed as an establishment stitch-up. We need to have a process that ensures the public are part of the reform process. The last two Labour manifestos have called for a constitutional convention to discuss democratic reform and topics such as our second chamber, devolution and local democracy.
David Morris	No response provided
Gina Dowding	Electoral reform is just part of what's needed to re-invigorate and make our democracy fairer; but it’s a crucial first step. A commitment to PR by an alliance of parties, supported by civil society through a diverse and representative constitutional commission, would enable this work to begin. Other countries have introduced PR in recent decades and we can learn from them, in order to achieve this essential component of social justice.
Tim Farron	It seems to me while the Liberals/Liberal Democrats have supported electoral reform for the best part of a century, and some of the smaller parties have joined us in recent times, the system will never change until one of the two larger parties changes their mind on this. If Labour were to agree to electoral reform, it may become a possibility, through agreement with the Lib Dems and others as part of a new non-Conservative government.

 * Three politicians gave detailed responses. The fourth (David Morris) did not respond to this particular invitation, but has indicated his views on PR in previous correspondence to us. The responses above are therefore summaries. They are also personal views, not necessarily those of any political party or organisation.