Gordon Brown won fewer votes and a smaller share of the vote in 2010 than John Major got in 1997, when the Conservatives where destroyed by Tony Blair's landslide.
2005: Labour 35.3% share = 356 seats.
2005: Conservative 32.3% share = 198 seats .
A 3% points lead for Labour equated to a 158 seat difference and a 66 seat majority for Labour.
2010 Labour 29% share = 258 seats.
2010 Conservative 37.1% share = 307 seats.
A 7.1% point lead for the Conservatives equated to a 49 seat difference and the need for a Coalition.
In fact the Conservatives in 2010 got more votes than Blair's Labour party in 2005, whilst Gordon Brown's 2010 Labour party received less votes than John Major's Conservatives in 1997. Put another way, the Conservatives in 2010 beat Labour by 7% points and yet received only 49 more seats than Labour? Yet from a smaller share of the vote in 2005, and whilst beating the Conservatives by just 3% points Labour had 158 more seats than the Conservatives.
The enormous pro-Labour, anti-Conservative bias in the structure of electoral boundaries needs addressing but will the changes be allowed to happen before the next general election?
2005: Labour 35.3% share = 356 seats.
2005: Conservative 32.3% share = 198 seats .
A 3% points lead for Labour equated to a 158 seat difference and a 66 seat majority for Labour.
2010 Labour 29% share = 258 seats.
2010 Conservative 37.1% share = 307 seats.
A 7.1% point lead for the Conservatives equated to a 49 seat difference and the need for a Coalition.
In fact the Conservatives in 2010 got more votes than Blair's Labour party in 2005, whilst Gordon Brown's 2010 Labour party received less votes than John Major's Conservatives in 1997. Put another way, the Conservatives in 2010 beat Labour by 7% points and yet received only 49 more seats than Labour? Yet from a smaller share of the vote in 2005, and whilst beating the Conservatives by just 3% points Labour had 158 more seats than the Conservatives.
The enormous pro-Labour, anti-Conservative bias in the structure of electoral boundaries needs addressing but will the changes be allowed to happen before the next general election?
1 comment:
Would Proportional Representation help?
Would it be better to have a government we've actually voted for or a landslide government from either Conservatives or Labour ever 15 years?
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