How did you vote and why today

Chris Mason spins everything in Reform's favour. I'm not alone in wishing he'd b*gger off to GB News.

The concern is that with the death of two party domination, it is entirely possible that the next central government could be formed by a party winning only 25% of the vote. In other words 75% of voters won't want them.

That isn't democratic representatation. It's adhering to an out-of-date system. Any government which truly believed in democracy rather than power would fix it.

The only party that has consistently been against PR is the Tories. If Labour is going to have another reset it needs to be addressing this before 2029.

Broadly speaking, only a minority, about a third, of the UK electorate was voting this week, and only in parts of England for the local elections.

The local elections covered 134 of England’s 317 councils, with about 4,850 council seats contested. Scotland and Wales were mainly voting in devolved parliament elections instead and Northern Ireland had no scheduled elections.

Many of the councils contested this year were in the Midlands, northern England, outer London boroughs, and post-industrial metropolitan districts.
These include a lot of the strongest Leave-voting territory from 2016. Analysts and commentators are already noting that Reform UK’s strongest advances were concentrated in these kinds of areas so no news there.

These are local elections not National ones. The are in strong leave-voting areas so some are moving towards Reform. Around 25–26% of voters choose different parties locally and nationally. These people are among those who are not politically ignorant; they havd chosen to learn and understand the difference between local authorities and national government.

So what are we supposed to learn from people telling us whether they voted and how?

Chris Mason isn't the only commentator using the same words, I just quoted one.

Currently we have FPTP elections. Your predictions of how the next government is formed, with a similar vote pattern, the winning party may only be the preferred party by 25% of the population.

But this was a local election so the voting pattern may not be replicated at next GE. For example the candidates I voted for were not from the party I am likely to vote for at the next GE.

I think after reform messes up the councils the electorate will dump them at a General Election.
This is a good dummy run for the folk who see Farage as the saviour…..when he’s a grifter and a con man.
Well I hope my English friends and family are right when that’s what they tell me

paddyann54

I think after reform messes up the councils the electorate will dump them at a General Election.
This is a good dummy run for the folk who see Farage as the saviour…..when he’s a grifter and a con man.
Well I hope my English friends and family are right when that’s what they tell me

From where I'm standing, your English friends and family are spot on. I am hoping these seats they are winning will be a case of give him enough rope and he will hang himself and by the time the GE comes around he will no longer be a credible option for Government.

No but Chris Mason is symptomatic of the pro-Reform bias at the BBC and in 75% of MSM.

We have a deeply unpopular Labour government who won a massive majority on just 33.7% of the vote.

We have seven MPs in Westminster who won with majorities of just 15,18, 20, 31,61, 92 and 98 votes.

Sara Pochin won the Runcorn & Helsby by election by just six votes.

All I am saying is that it is undemocratic when the vast majority of voters remain unrepresented.

I couldn't vote this time.
I see that Oxford, not far away, has 10 Labour, 9 Green seats.

I received one leaflet from Reform in the run-up to the election, which came in through the door. On the front. it said VOTE TRUMP in enormous letters.
My gardener arrived next and we mutually tore it up.

LABOUR ADMITS DEFEAT IN WALES

Looks like Plaid will win.

Graphite 'No but Chris Mason is symptomatic of the pro-Reform bias at the BBC and in 75% of MSM".

That Reform is winning the most votes, so far, is a fair and reasonable comment and repeated across both pro Reform and none pro reform media outlets this morning. I don't think it can be reasonably said this is evidence of bias reporting as you claim. It could be the fact you don't like this form of words as a result of your bias, ie that you are not Reform favourable?

For example, you have not suggested what alternate form of words than "Reform is winning the most votes" would be an example of none bias reporting that you would refer. Your preference is to rely on a personal opinion of bias.

It could not be said that The Guardian is a newspaper with a pro reform bias EVER. Today it quotes the political scientist Prof Sir John Curtice " Reform was clearly winning the most votes in early counts, it had “probably not” reached 30% of the vote, an indication of the fracturing of British politics."

Prof Sir John Curtice is a highly regarded political scientist, a professor of politics and particularly interested in electoral behaviour. Neither can it be said that he has a pro Reform bias.

I am not a Reform supporter and have no pro Reform bias. I , accept as fact the extent of Reform Uk's vote capture, so far, for the council seats up for election.

Surely the vast majority as unrepresented because they don’t vote do have a choice and that is to vote. Or instead to deface their voting papers. Democracy allows all to vote, or not, as they will.
As women I feel we do have a responsibility to those who fought for us to have that choice and though my particular choice rarely wins, I always vote.

paddyann54

I think after reform messes up the councils the electorate will dump them at a General Election.
This is a good dummy run for the folk who see Farage as the saviour…..when he’s a grifter and a con man.
Well I hope my English friends and family are right when that’s what they tell me

Yes; they have proved themselves inept so far in Local Government so I am surprised at their success.

It is a protest vote.
Disillusionment with the two major parties.

Primrose53

LABOUR ADMITS DEFEAT IN WALES

Looks like Plaid will win.

I’m hopeful that Plaid will win strongly in Wales, if they do it will of course be an anticipated kick in the teeth for Labour, but also an unexpected punch in the guts for Reform, Farage has been here a lot in the run up, and was all over the media saying he is confident of being the biggest party….

He is always 'confident'. It's part of his performance.

Primrose53

LABOUR ADMITS DEFEAT IN WALES

Looks like Plaid will win.

I'm not surprised that Labour is doing badly in Wales after all these years of dominance.

Education, the NHS are under-performing in Wales as well as other key areas.

Proportional representation
I cant say there is any more appeptite fro it than in say 1990 or whenever.
It gets mentioned sometimes and then dropped.

I personally think, sometimes it can be seen how many splinters there are in Countries that have used it, that it is quietly shelved.
Every 10 years or so when it is more talked about.

So winning 33% of vote at a General Election is enough to propel whichever Party into power.

Not much point saying 67% of the people did not vote for that Party.
Been the same thing since 1960. Or whenever.

Allira

Primrose53

LABOUR ADMITS DEFEAT IN WALES

Looks like Plaid will win.

I'm not surprised that Labour is doing badly in Wales after all these years of dominance.

Education, the NHS are under-performing in Wales as well as other key areas.

That’s a pretty one-sided way of framing it. Wales does face serious challenges in health and education, but attributing them mainly to Labour ignores wider factors like poverty, an ageing population, post-industrial economic decline, austerity policies set by Westminster, and the fact that Wales has less fiscal and policy power than sovereign governments. The NHS is under pressure across the UK, not just in Wales. Whether Labour has handled things well is open to debate, but presenting Wales’ problems as straightforward proof of Labour failure is more political argument than neutral analysis.

I voted Labour because I want stability. After the shambles of the Conservatives I couldn't bear the thought of going through all the change and in party fighting. Yes we still might have that with Starmer leadership now but I think he took a measured response and refused to join in the US/Israel war. Would any of the other parties...I don't think so. I know these were local elections and it worries me that Farage has gained many seats and the Greens. I don't like either of them. We now will have fractured local councils and that usually means more bickering and less improvements. I think after the Conservatives people should be more patient and allow Labour the chance to make changes and be a stable government. Now it's all going to be up in the air again.

DaisyAnneReturns

Allira

Primrose53

LABOUR ADMITS DEFEAT IN WALES

Looks like Plaid will win.

I'm not surprised that Labour is doing badly in Wales after all these years of dominance.

Education, the NHS are under-performing in Wales as well as other key areas.

That’s a pretty one-sided way of framing it. Wales does face serious challenges in health and education, but attributing them mainly to Labour ignores wider factors like poverty, an ageing population, post-industrial economic decline, austerity policies set by Westminster, and the fact that Wales has less fiscal and policy power than sovereign governments. The NHS is under pressure across the UK, not just in Wales. Whether Labour has handled things well is open to debate, but presenting Wales’ problems as straightforward proof of Labour failure is more political argument than neutral analysis.

I didn't realise you lived in Wales, sorry.

Kandinsky

I voted Reform - I hope they do well 🤞

What is it you want them to achieve?

Having hoiked myself out of the door to vote, I find that all the votes in our area have been discounted. There was a boundary change a couple of years ago but this somehow escaped the notice of the electoral office and so all the names on our ballot papers did not reflect the real area. Somehow, it escaped the notice of the candidates too until the actual count. At which point, they rounded up all the votes and decided not to count them as they were wrong. A result was declared but I'm not sure how they got to their conclusion as to the winner and losers. Quite frankly it is a shambles and I hope that someone takes legal action about it.
Reform fared strongly in the polls but the Greens have apparently been named as winners. Now, although I absolutely do not want Reform in first place, I think the process is extremely important and I strongly object to my vote being completely discounted as I am sure the other 25% of the County do.

Are you ok

Green 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Allira

DaisyAnneReturns

Allira

Primrose53

LABOUR ADMITS DEFEAT IN WALES

Looks like Plaid will win.

I'm not surprised that Labour is doing badly in Wales after all these years of dominance.

Education, the NHS are under-performing in Wales as well as other key areas.

That’s a pretty one-sided way of framing it. Wales does face serious challenges in health and education, but attributing them mainly to Labour ignores wider factors like poverty, an ageing population, post-industrial economic decline, austerity policies set by Westminster, and the fact that Wales has less fiscal and policy power than sovereign governments. The NHS is under pressure across the UK, not just in Wales. Whether Labour has handled things well is open to debate, but presenting Wales’ problems as straightforward proof of Labour failure is more political argument than neutral analysis.

I didn't realise you lived in Wales, sorry.

I do, and I think that analysis is right, in so far as the legacy of issues facing Wales, and the underfunding under the Tory government are concerned. Wales has been a poor relation since the mines were closed, as unfortunately the legacy from that has so far been too big to overcome, and I believe that would have been the case regardless of the colour of the government.

Having been a poll clerk and done the count in previous years I’m afraid the spoiled ballot papers don’t get passed on to the candidates. All sorts of messages are written on them - some quite personal - I suppose it serves as a way of venting anger but they just get put in the spoiled votes pile. Better to use your vote constructively