* First-past-the-post should be replaced with a more proportional system
*Berry: ‘Our broken electoral system must now catch up with the people’
Green Party councillor Sian Berry will make the case for voting reform at a rally outside Parliament on Saturday (25 July) organized by the Voting Reform Team.
The Camden councillor is expected to say that the one million votes won by the Green’s at May’s election is not reflected in Parliament and that the first-past-the-post electoral system should be replaced.
Under a system of proportional representation, the Green Party would have won around 25 seats (1), compared to the one it actually won at the 2015 General Election.
Councillor Berry will say: “The age of the two-party system is over. Fresh new parties like the Greens have broken through and are re-energising politics on the ground, reflected in our increased vote but not in more representation.
“Our broken electoral system must now catch up with the people. I’m pleased to be joining together with campaigners today to call for a new voting system and a much greater variety of voices in Parliament.
“If this government is serious about modernising our politics, they must look seriously at constitutional changes which allow people’s opinions to be better represented in Parliament.”
Ends
Notes
(1) http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/05/britain-s-election-2015-seats-votes-calculator
Great Gathering for Voting Reform
Old Palace Yard, Houses of Parliament, London
25 July at 13:00