A beginner's guide to the general election
As you may be aware by all the Media coverage, we are very close to a General Election in this country: we now have no official Members of Parliament and 6 May 2010 will be the day that Britons vote to decide who will govern Britain. Frank Mercer has produced some facts about the British electoral system.
- Downing Street
- The Houses of Parliament
By law, a general election to the UK House of Commons must be held every five years. There are 650 seats (one held by the Speaker of the House, who is neutral) and a party which wins a majority forms the Government. It is possible to govern without a total majority if the opposition parties cannot agree. When no party wins enough seats to govern alone it is called a "hung Parliament" and the leading party must agree to work with another (or others) in a coalition government.
Citizens over 18 must register in order to vote, but it's not compulsory and they do not have to vote (as in Australia, for example). The percentage of those who vote ("turnout") has fallen recently to between 47 and 55.
The country is divided into 649 areas called constituencies. Each voter can vote for only one candidate in one constituency. In each constituency the candidate who receives the most votes wins the seat, even with the smallest majority. This "first past the post" system is criticised by some parties as undemocratic (in 1984 the Conservatives won 39% of the vote nationwide, but 65% of seats). Supporters say that the system allows one party to govern, rather than a more or less weak coalition, and ensures that the candidate elected in each constuency has the support of the majority of voters in that area.
Seats with small majorities (there was a majority of only 12 in Torbay from 1997 to 2000) are called "marginal". The change in percentage of votes from an earlier election is called a "swing", and "swing" or "floating voters" are those who have not decided which party to support.
There are only three large national political parties in the UK, followed by a number of national and regional ones, which were represented in Parliament in 2010.
Other parties are represented in the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland Parliament or the European Parliament.
The Labour Party, now in government and led by Gordon Brown, is an alliance of groups to the Left, from Social Democrats to near-Marxists, with support from the Cooperative and trade union movements. They are strongest in traditional industrial areas, Scotland and Wales.
The Conservatives, also known as "Tories", under David Cameron are the largest opposition party. They are supported by many rural and business voters, people who support lower taxes, less state interference and "family values". Many Conservatives dislike the power of the European Union. The party is strongest in the English country areas and better-off city areas and suburbs, and had only one MP in Scotland in the last parliament.
The Liberal Democrats, led by Nick Clegg. A fusion of the Liberal and Social Democrat parties, they are generally left of centre but more pro-European. They also favour a proportional voting system. Strong in the south and west, parts of Wales and North of Scotland.
The main regional parties are:
The Scottish National Party, which is now in power in the Scottish parliament and wants a vote on independence for Scotland.
Plaid Cymru (Welsh party), growing in support, wants more powers for the Welsh Assembly but not independence.
The Democratic Unionist Party, main voice of the Northern Irish Protestants who want to remain part of the UK. More radical than the former Ulster Unionists, they have still agreed to share power with…
Sinn Féin (We Ourselves), the main Catholic and Republican movement in N. Ireland. Its leader, Gerry Adams, was once thought to be a leading figure in the IRA, who wanted to unite N. Ireland with the Irish Republic.
Not represented at present are the Communists, the UK Independence Party (who want to pull out of Europe, and have won seats in the European Parliament) and the far-right British National Party, who recently had to open membership to non-white voters to avoid prosecution for racial discrimination
Hot topics in the 2010 election...
Economy and Tax
The current Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, spent ten years in charge of Britain's finances as Chancellor of the Exchequer while Britain's economy seemed strong. Brown's claim of "no boom and bust" (fast economic growth, followed by fast economic collapse) seemed to be holding true. However, his appointment to the post of Prime Minister was swiftly followed by the worldwide economic problems tied to the collapse of major banks and the 'credit crunch', and Britain's economic strength - and Brown's competence - are no longer so certain. All political parties need to work out how to reduce Britain's big debts while creating jobs and helping businesses. British voters are particularly sensitive to tax: few parties dare to say that they will put up general taxes such as VAT (on shopping) or Income Tax (on salaries). Instead there is much talk of "efficiency savings", which plays to the perception that governments waste money, changes to National Insurance (compulsory payments to fund the NHS and the welfare state, including pensions) or populist moves such as taxing large houses or people with high wages.
Crime
Britain does not have a patricularly high crime rate, and in many parts of the country crime is actually very rare. But newspapers and the television love to report crimes, so there is a popular perception that (a) crime is increasing, (b) young people are out of control and turning into a generation of hooligans and (c) the police are too busy doing paperwork to catch criminals. Every party will promise to tackle one or all of these problems, and restore peace and calm to Britain. Without spending any money.
Education
There is a widespread feeling that Britain's education is going wrong. Young people still go to school and take exams, and the exam pass rate is going up each year, but that just makes people say that the exams are getting easier. It's probably true, but the education system has changed so much in the last few decades that it's hard to make comparisons. There are plenty of teenagers who cannot read and write well, and universities are running extra classes in English and Maths to get students to a level that would have been normal not long ago. Schools have large classes, and there are plenty of schools with a poor reputation, as well as excellent schools which parents lie and cheat to get their children into. There's a clear divide between rich and poor families, and between public (privately-owned) and state (government-run) schools. The parties will try to persuade voters that they can create universally good schools for all pupils and suitable education for all.
NHS
The National Health Service - the system of doctors, dentists and hospitals in the UK - is one of Britain's most fiercely guarded institutions. Few people in Britain disagree with the concept of healthcare that is 'free at the point of delivery' (you don't pay a charge to see a doctor or be treated in hospital, but everyone pays for the services through compulsory National Insurance). However, the services that should be available, and how to manage those services, are up for debate.
Iraq & Afghanistan
Britain's role in the invasion of Iraq has been the subject of much controversy in recent years, particularly in regards to the honesty of the reasons for going to war. The war in Afghanistan was more widely supported, but involvement is being questioned. Should Britain's soldiers be fighting in countries far away? What happens if we bring the soldiers home? How much money is available for new equipment?
One to watch...
Europe
A hot topic in the last few elections, but surprisingly absent from this year's campaign so far. It has proved an explosive issue before, and there's always a chance that it could come back to haunt this year's candidates.
