The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


You count for nothing

Posted on May 09, 2010 by

At least, it’s statistically probable that you do. The majority – 53% – of votes cast by the British electorate last Thursday were worthless, because they were cast for candidates who didn’t win, and are therefore simply thrown in the bin by the First Past The Post electoral system.

So if you were one of the thousands of people locked out of polling stations across the country on Thursday night, don’t fret too much. Your vote would probably have been completely ignored anyway.

It breaks down like this. (Some of the figures below kindly supplied by Luke on the Rllmuk forum.) These are figures for votes “wasted” on each party, ie cast for losing candidates and therefore discarded as worthless by the FPTP system. You won’t be too surprised who comes out on top.

Liberal Democrats – 5,596,089 (approximately 82% of all Lib Dem votes)
Labour – 3,600,427 (42%)
Conservative – 3,404,308 (34%)
UKIP – 917,832 (100%)
BNP – 563,743 (100%)
SNP – 403,024 (82%)
Green – 269,378 (94%)
PC – 129,651 (78%)
Sinn Fein – 69,652 (41%)
SDLP – 59,374 (54%)
DUP – 48,981 (29%)
Alliance – 29,923 (70%)
Others – 596,474 (100%)

Total – 15,689,216 (52.9% of total votes cast: 29,653,638)

So just under SIXTEEN MILLION people who made the effort to go out and exercise their democratic right to decide the government of their country would have been just as well staying at home watching EastEnders, because at the end of the day their votes were simply totally discounted.

This scandalous injustice happens because of a system which the Tories alone – a party supported by just 36% of voters, or 23% of all eligible adults – desperately want to keep in place. (To be fair, Labour’s support for a fairer proportional system is the ultimate in last-minute deathbed conversions.)

Whether your vote is one of the ones that counts or one of the ones that doesn’t is pure chance. If you live on the wrong side of a totally arbitrary geographical line, frequently redrawn by whoever’s in power to their own advantage, you might as well set your polling card on fire as soon as it arrives. If you’re on the right side, you basically get two votes.

To be honest, there’s not much I can add to that.

8 to “You count for nothing”

  1. AJ says:

    Nearly 16 million people who end up with no voice for those five years (and each time it happens again and again). Ridiculous. Tragic, almost.

    Reply
  2. gnuerrilla says:

    The single transferable vote in multi-member constituencies, is the way forward. Remember though, "politics isn't just about one cross ever five years, it's about much more than that."
    Be prepared for the coming fight.
     

    Reply
  3. Tom Camfield says:

    Protest march with Take Back Parliament (the peeps in purple chanting at Cleggers over the weekend) 15th May, 2pm, Parliament Square. Add your body to the protests! The more protests we stage, the more the Conservative commentators (Liam Fox etc) look silly saying that no-one wants reform. Be there!
    To sign up: link to takebackparliament.com

    Reply
  4. gnuerrilla says:

    According to the government’s own legislation, the result of a trade union ballot on strike action is only deemed legal and valid if the result in favour reaches a total of 50% + 1 out of the total number that voted.
     
    In the 6th May general election the Conservatives achieved a vote of 36% from the electorate, Labour reached 29% and the Lib-Dems 23%. Applying the same regulations to this general election as they do to trade union ballots would mean the result of this election is invalid.  
    Yet we find that the leadership of these parties are now busy conducting behind the scenes deals in order that some form of government will quickly emerge. And the phrase that all these leaders are using is that this is being done ‘in the national interest’. 
     
    Tory leader Cameron stated: “No government will be in the national interest unless it deals with the biggest threat to our national interest, and that is the deficit. We remain completely convinced that starting to deal with the deficit this year is essential.”
    He added: “Britain needs strong, stable, decisive government and it is in the national interest that we get that on a secure basis. We need a government that reassures the international markets.”
    Media darling Nick Clegg said “It is now for the Conservative Party to prove that it is capable of seeking to govern in the national interest.”
    Gordon Brown, displaying no principles whatsoever commented: “For my part, I should make clear that I would be willing to see any of the party leaders if it is in the national interest to do so.”
     
    That they can find common ground is not a surprise, since all these parties represent the same ruling elite and in essence all believe that the working class has to pay for the current economic crisis. Moreover, when they talk about the ‘national interest’ they reveal themselves as political fraudsters.


    All these parties have supported the destruction of Britain’s manufacturing base and the privatisation of its energy industries, resulting in the energy needs of the people of Britain being at the mercy of imports from the most unstable regions on earth. This is not in the interest of the 60 million inhabitants of Britain but on the contrary is tantamount to treason.
     
    Furthermore, the term ‘national interest’ is used by these political scoundrels to conceal the fact that society is in reality made up of opposing classes, each with their own distinct interests, and the government act in the interests of only one class, the ruling class.
    How can the interests of big business, whose function is to extract the maximum amount of surplus value from its labour force, be the same interests as their workers who have to fight to protect their working conditions and standards of living?
    How can the investment bankers at RBS who were recently paid bonuses of £1.3 billion, be equated to the workers struggling to put food on the table for their families?
    How can the interests of workers and youth trying to combat growing debt, unemployment and housing problems be the same as Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, who is the richest property developer in Britain, with an estimated wealth of £6.75billion and owning vast estates in Lancashire, Cheshire and Scotland as well as internationally owning estates in Canada and Spain?  
     
    Whatever form of government is eventually cobbled together, the term ‘national interest’ will be used as a cover behind which they intend to launch savage attacks on the social conditions of the working class.

    Reply
  5. ANC says:

    There's always a dictator anyway:
    link to en.wikipedia.org

    Reply
  6. gnuerrilla says:

    @ANC
    That's why the fight is ongoing and never-ending.

    Reply
  7. Irish Al says:

    UK Election Coalition Permutations 2010
    link to cypherspace.org
     
    Via a clever man and software.

    Reply
  8. dobler says:

    Can someone explain how first past the post works? It confuses me how the Conservatives can only get 36% of the total votes yet have more seats.

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)

    Stats: 6,747 Posts, 1,216,843 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Captain Caveman on The Takeover: “Honestly, Wings BTL is a must-read for me, daily. Particularly good and especially deliciously unhinged of late! Please, please… keep…Apr 30, 06:21
    • Yoon Scum on The Takeover: “Geri You need to address a MAJOR issue with leaving the union us English filth live in Scotland How are…Apr 30, 06:00
    • Young Lochinvar on The Takeover: “Wow! Something got shook loose there!! Fat? Seen many Anglos recently? Clearly not! Go to Benidorm and view the Engerlund…Apr 30, 01:15
    • Young Lochinvar on The Takeover: “Andrew Sorry, I disagree. Good points are being made and “BTL” post protocols aside it gets asinine with folk “wanging…Apr 30, 00:49
    • Geri on The Takeover: “I’d bet a pound to a pile of shite there is an Englishman there in the thick of it all.…Apr 30, 00:17
    • James on The Takeover: “AH! A “Carol”. Where did you appear from, poppet? Diversity! The 77th now have a laydee poster. Or is wee…Apr 30, 00:11
    • James on The Takeover: ““Chas” (lol) “How come so many nutters contribute to the ‘comments section’ on Wings?” Go on “Chas”, Look in a…Apr 30, 00:03
    • Geri on The Takeover: “GM They’re making a big deal of it because colonialism thrives on division & conflict & sectarianism is their favourite…Apr 29, 23:49
    • Geri on The Takeover: “James Cheyne I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you are okay. Sending you hugs at this difficult time…Apr 29, 23:31
    • GM on The Takeover: “Hatey McHateface says: 29 April, 2025 at 9:16 pm You are being taken for a fool.. Could be! Political Islam…Apr 29, 22:51
    • Yoon Scum on The Takeover: “Chas Are you saying that we can’t cast a magic spell while wearing the holy tartan cap and holding up…Apr 29, 21:17
    • Hatey McHateface on The Takeover: ““The Muslims from Scotland that I know are Scottish. No question” Yet only a few posts above, we have Alf…Apr 29, 21:16
    • GM on The Takeover: “Aye, f all to do with being muslim. I am slightly puzzled why they are making a big deal out…Apr 29, 20:59
    • Chas on The Takeover: “Sadly Cheyne is not alone in posting repetitive pish. There are too many living in the past banging on about…Apr 29, 20:48
    • Bilbo on The Takeover: “Who controls the past, controls the future.Apr 29, 20:27
    • GM on The Takeover: “NO.Definitely not Bilbo. Hopefully copying the USA is at the start of being on its way ootApr 29, 20:27
    • GM on The Takeover: “The Muslims from Scotland that I know are Scottish. No question and the ones I know from abroad don’t exhibit…Apr 29, 20:11
    • Hatey McHateface on The Takeover: “You’re wasting your time on the right side of history, Marie. The left side of history is where all the…Apr 29, 19:59
    • carol Neill on The Takeover: “Much as I am sympathetic with James cheynes recent loss I am not missing their posts Same shit all day…Apr 29, 19:52
    • Bilbo on The Takeover: “Never heard of the band until recently. They sound like the Northern Irish version of the Bearsden and Milngavie scheme…Apr 29, 19:43
    • Andrew scott on The Takeover: “James cheyne off on his (not missed) rants which have ZERO to do with revs post Stick to the post…Apr 29, 19:23
    • Nae Need! on The Takeover: “@Yoonscum “The problem with that argument is it kind of ignores the actions of the current Scottish government Who have…Apr 29, 19:21
    • James Cheyne on The Takeover: “Further explanation for those whom are not aware, The Anglo – Irish treaty in 1801 was when the Westminster parliament…Apr 29, 19:05
    • James Cheyne on The Takeover: “And of course the treaty of union in particular mentions no other people in the treaty of union with England…Apr 29, 19:01
    • James Cheyne on The Takeover: “Hi james, That be a contentious point as Scots law was to remain separate. And by allowing Scotland to pass…Apr 29, 18:42
    • Aidan on The Takeover: “@James – laws passed by Holyrood are secondary legislation passed in accordance with the powers laid out in the Scotland…Apr 29, 17:44
    • Marie on The Takeover: “Kneecap shouldn’t have said what they said – doesn’t stop them from being on the right side of history though.Apr 29, 16:55
    • James Cheyne on The Takeover: “Alf. As a observation it is noted under the legal construction of Britain that only a Sovereign parliament can pass…Apr 29, 15:24
    • YOON scum on The Takeover: “After Indy Will yoons be allowed to voteApr 29, 15:10
    • James Cheyne on The Takeover: “Alf, What you state has become quite evident over recent years in as much that the treaty of union can…Apr 29, 14:57
  • A tall tale



↑ Top