Proportional representation: but what does it mean?
A seemingly irrepressible Reform UK party, on the face of it, surging to power; a Labour Party so out of favour with the public that even the red rosettes of Barnsley got the chop; a Conservative Party that is still holed beneath the waterline, though steadying, it seems, under the leadership of Kemi Badenoch – if winning Westminster Council is a good barometer.
Then, add to the mix the left-leaning Greens, taking advantage of the clear voter disillusionment - writ-large by the local elections - with Labour’s left-wing offering. Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats gained 153 councillors in England, illustrating that despite their leader’s penchant for silly stunts, the Lib Dems are competitive moderate alternatives to the offerings wide on the left and the right.
In a nutshell, party politics in this country is no longer a duopoly; Goliath v Goliath. A phalanx of Davids are now vying for political power, and that puts under pressure the very bedrock of democracy in the United Kingdom; the electoral system.
First past the post (FPTP) is viewed by myriad experts as a check-and-balance against extreme politics. A guardrail on British values and society. Critics argue it favours the Goliaths, not least through tactical voting, meaning smaller political parties can find themselves winning a significant proportion of actual votes whilst winning few seats.
Now, a smattering of Yorkshire MPs are calling for FPTP to be replaced by proportional representation, a position no-doubt emboldened by the kaleidoscope of colours being returned on the electoral map. Red and blue are no longer the only choices which may well herald a new era of more thoughtful policy making, ergo more choice.