Thursday 7th May

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless though not blameless, who doesn’t vote. “They are all the same”, “It won’t make any difference who you vote for.”  Etc, etc, etc.  And while it is true that neither of the large parties will radically alter the status quo, or seriously challenge big business or start a revolution it still does matter who you vote for, or actually that you do vote at all.  Because the worst result of all, far worse than UKIP getting a few M.P.s or the dreaded SNP having a say on what goes on at Westminster will be if there is a low turnout.  One of the arguments bubbling under and sure to come to the surface soon is the question of legitimacy.  Will it be legitimate for a party which comes in second to put together either a formal coalition or an informal arrangement with other smaller parties to form a government when the one which gets the most votes or seats is unable to do so.  Well, as far as legitimancy goes I am sure it would be, though it will be sure to upset a whole other bunch of people who voted a different way.  But five years ago Labour supporters were horrified that the LibDems, who everyone considered to be slightly to the left of Labour, jumped so quickly into bed with the right-wing Tories.

Under our first past the post, winner takes all system there are always going to be a lot of people upset.  In fact it is almost always the case that less than half the people vote for the winning party, or, as may be the case, are happy with the choice of coalition partners.  We are facing the prospect that whoever ‘wins’ and becomes Prime Minister may have been voted for by around only a third of those voting.  But it gets worse; as there may only be 60% of the registered voters who actually go out and vote that 35% is only 22.75% of the actual people registered to vote.  And as not all over eighteens actually bother to register to vote anyway and maybe as many as ten percent do not do so the percentage of adults in the country who have actually voted for the winning party could be few as one in five.

And what right have any of us to complain at whoever forms the next government if we haven’t actually bothered to take part in electing them?  So, whoever you do or do not support, please go and vote.