please empty your brain below
Sadly I have never lived in a constituency where my vote had any chance of making a difference. General elections are a misnomer they are won and lost on the basis of only around 10-20% of seats changing hands and if you don’t live in one of those you would hardly know there was an election happening.

GE | 10.11.19 - 8:20 a.m. | #

It's always blue round here. The only reason we don't currently have a Conservative MP is because he defected to the "yellow Tories" a couple of months ago and this time will be standing in a neighbouring constituency. So they need to find a new Tory candidate. I suspect a grandfather clock with a blue rosette stuck on it will be accepted by most round here :-(

Snaprails | 10.11.19 - 8:46 a.m. | #

The paradox is that if every Labour voter in a safe Labour seat such as yours behaved 'rationally' and didn't bother voting, then another party would win and Labour would lose their deposit.

Malcolm | 10.11.19 - 8:47 a.m. | #

It's always red round here. The only reason we don't currently have a Labour MP is because he defected to the "Lib-Labs" a couple of months ago and this time will be standing in a nearby constituency...

NickW | 10.11.19 - 10:39 a.m. | #

I wonder what your definition of "fcuk it up" is.

Joho | Homepage | 10.11.19 - 10:43 a.m. | #

And if you think that's bad, the Speaker's constituency doesn't get a choice at all.

Joho | Homepage | 10.11.19 - 10:47 a.m. | #

oh well, I'll cast my vote but like you, DG, I have doubts how much effect it will have

Caz | 10.11.19 - 11:15 a.m. | #

Pedant alert @Snaprails & @NickW...no constituency currently has an M P as Parliament is dissolved. Unless I've missed something DG has been very careful to use a phrase such as "at the last election."

Jona26 | 10.11.19 - 11:47 a.m. | #

When we had the chance to change it to proportional representation it was rejected
‘Nah,to complicated innit’?
I’m afraid we get the governments we deserve.

Jerym | 10.11.19 - 12:12 p.m. | #

The probability of the final sentence becoming a fact is directly proportional to the electorates' tolerance of things not going their way.

Patrickov | 10.11.19 - 12:35 p.m. | #

The relevant Speaker's seat has been contested at every general election since 1935. Several significant parties have stood over the years up to and including Labour and the Liberals (the Conservatives last took on a sitting Speaker in 1895). Not every party follows the convention and there are usually independents as well - often including those standing on a platform that the constituency should have a regular party contest of some kind.

There is no obligation for parties to stand but I don't think the contests have in any way damaged the ability of Speakers over the year to do the job so it's probably time for this partial convention to end.

Tim Roll-Pickering | Homepage | 10.11.19 - 1:40 p.m. | #

Seems like the Catalans and Spain have similar problems with democratic votes as we do. Question is, are we going to imprison Cameron?

B | 10.11.19 - 2:01 p.m. | #

A really informative post, thanks. It brings a clarity to how safe seats are far more than put across in the press or the perplexing TV swingometers.

As for 'the rest of you' or deadlocks being broken - I'm not holding my breath.

NickW | Homepage | 10.11.19 - 10:12 p.m. | #

How come Harrow and Uxbridge are not coloured in on any map?

peewit | 11.11.19 - 7:55 a.m. | #

Our MP was welcomed back into the fold a few months after resigning from the party. The constituency has switched sides three times in the last decade, and only once in the entire history of the constituency has the winner polled more than 50% of the votes.

@peewit... DG did not produce a map for the 50-60% band in which Uxbridge falls (50.8%)

timbo | 11.11.19 - 8:46 a.m. | #

Too many people rallied, fought and died so we could have a vote, regardless of whether it made a difference to the way representative democracy works. Excuse the cliches and pedantry.

You should always vote (I'd love to see it mandatory, with an extra box for "no vote"), even if it is only to spoil the ballot paper, eg if you do not believe in elected mayors.

If you think voting is tough or pointless, look where no vote is possible or where the outcome is rigged. They really don't have a say - you do.

Joel | 11.11.19 - 9:31 a.m. | #

I'd wager, without even knowing what DG's definition of "fsck it up" is, that we'll fcuk it up.

I'm in one of those LD marginals, so I hold my breath and vote tactically.

Chz | 11.11.19 - 11:41 a.m. | #

No need to have any doubts about me 'fcuking it up' by picking the wrong candidate.
You can always rely on someone whose constituency is Bromley.

(Which is to say, the other Bromley. The nice one.)

RogerW | 11.11.19 - 2:13 p.m. | #

Where I live (NZ) we changed to proportional representation 20-odd years ago, and now everybody's vote counts. So sensible!

Betterbee | 13.11.19 - 5:37 a.m. | #











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