this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2026
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UK Politics

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[–] yakko@feddit.uk 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is what First Past the Post does to elections. One party does terrible shit for the rich, gets voted out, then the next biggest party does the same, and so on... It'll take a real upset to put an end to that dynamic.

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 14 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Is there a world where a center-left coalition of Greens, Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid, Your Party (if they ever get their act together) and the independents could challenge Labour or Reform at the next general?

That's about the only way I can forsee any genuine electoral reform happening.

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 4 points 3 days ago

I'm not the guy to ask, but I'm open to it. As an outsider nobody voter, that is.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago

Yeah, well, they only got power thanks to the interaction between the Mathematics of FPTP and the Far-Right vote being split between Tories and Reform, and then promptly decided that what Britain really needed was more authoritarianism and more rightwing policies, splitting the vote on the left of Britain's political center (which by European standards sits somewhere in the hard-Right space), especially the actual Leftwing vote.

If both Labour and the Tory Party were annihilated maybe Britain would actually politically evolve into the XXI century.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 12 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Labour won just over 1,150 seats at the local elections in 2022

The Conservatives, who won 401 seats in 2022

Non-brit here. I'm just shocked at how many seats there are.

I live in a city about a third the size (by population) of London. Our 5 Local Government Areas have a combined 73 councillors & mayors. You guys have over 20 times the number of local representatives, only counting the two largest parties. :O

[–] FarceOfWill 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

To put this in context, these are considered part time positions with an allowance of around £15k

You can imagine what this means. Its a bizarre situation

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

343 seats cover all of Canada, and that number is pushed up just by our large geography.

50% more people, but 5X more politicians.

[–] GiveOver@feddit.uk 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You're thinking of MPs. The article is talking about local councils

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

650 vs. 343, for a small geopgraphic area.

but, I found out we have over 23,000 city councillors. Most could be replaced with a ficus or small cactus.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 1 points 3 days ago

Australia has about 2/3rds the population of Canada, with fewer than half the MPs (150).

[–] tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 3 points 3 days ago

Does it matter? Starmer's Labour seem to be carrying on New Labour's activities of carrying out Tory policies. At this point there are no parties that will change things here in the UK. I'll give the Greens the benefit of the doubt but really don't hold out much hope for them.

[–] Shameless@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Thanks for nowt flim flam man

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Let’s see, fuck around . . . check. What was the other thing?

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"Regurgitate trite aphorisms instead of saying anything meaningful"? I think it was that.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Was it? Man, whoever coined that phrase must have been high as hell.