Small swings can win

11 January 2011

A Report from the Institute for Public Policy Research highlights that a change in voting pattern of 1.6% of the electorate in marginal seats can change the governing party.

It states that for the last 35 years, around a quarter of all votes cast have been for third parties and this trend is growing.  “In 2010, one in ten voters opted for parties other than Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat, an all-time high for minor parties. The three-party vote was, at 88.1 per cent, by far the lowest since the war.”  The report is named Worst of Both Worlds: Why First Past the Post no longer works.

This helps Christians to see that the Scottish Christian Party can make a difference in politics as the major parties struggle for marginal voters.

111 seats changed hands in 2010 and less than 40% of their electorate voted for the winning MPs.  This is a record high number of MPs; two out of every three MPs do not have the support of a majority of local voters.

The report argues that the First Past the Post voting system can no longer claim to guarantee ‘strong single-party government’ and simply promotes the major parties without reflecting the wishes of the electorate.

The SCP urge Christians to make use of the Regional List voting system in the coming Scottish Election to promote a Christian Voice in Parliament.

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