Yesterday the public made, as it would seem a clear choice,
to elect Mr Cameron’s blue’s for a whole five years. They didn’t let him share
the limelight this time. Oh no, he gets to stand at the lectern on Wednesdays surrounded
by other ‘Blues.’ No ‘Cleggy’ to take a bruising on his behalf this time. But
as he stands at his lectern he will be looking out at a sort of, ‘United Colours
of Benetton’ Commons. I do not refer to the ethnicity of its membership or the
gender balance but of course the more diverse array of party affiliation.
The Tories, whilst they have increased their share of the
popular vote somewhat, the number of Labour and Liberal Democrat votes fell to
make way for the SNP and other smaller spunky alternatives, UKIP taking 12% of
the national vote. David Cameron, although he achieved a majority, will be
presiding over a Nation largely unrepresented. The Tory party achieved 37% of
the national vote but returned 331MP’s to Westminster, more than 50% of seats.
So As ‘Call Me Dave’ looks out from his enclave of blue
support, the murmurings of pre-election punditry on the topic of his
prospective legitimacy may remain a thought in the back of his mind. However
well buried these thoughts now, they will surely be in the back of his mind and
personified on the backbenches as a daily reminder. Will this 330 MP majority
government be enough to ‘put to bed’ any discussions on changes to our voting
system.
One of Call Me Dave’s big worries during the next five years
will undoubtedly be the SNP and preventing any further break to our union.
After all, no one wants that as part of their legacy if they are pro union.
This willingness to prevent a break in the union is one reason that may provoke
discussion over electoral reform to continue, irrespective of a clear tory
Majority, which of course as the party faithful would argue, shows that a clear
definite outcome has been reached under the First Past The Post system and
therefore no reform should be discussed. A move toward a more proportional
system would return less of an SNP voice to Westminster. It would be mean a
return of the Labour and Conservative voice once more to Scotland and in turn
stem the flow of Nationalism that threatens to tarnish ‘call Me Dave’s’ legacy.
There are voices within the Tory Party itself that are more
than amenable to the idea of electoral reform. Zac Goldsmith MP, a loud voice
during the last parliament pushing for a controversial right of recall bill, is
just one of many tory figures that would be open to the idea of electoral
reform. During the 2011 referendum campaign for the Alternative Voting system,
John Strafford lead a strong group of conservative MP’s inclusive of Sayeeda Warsi and Andrew Feldman in the Commons
against the will of the party executive. This appetite
for reform has not gone away.
During the various votes on the
Parliamentary Reforms and Constituencies Act 2011 and prior to the campaign for
AV beginning, the Tories on any one motion, never managed an opposing vote
larger than 269 votes. That is inclusive of DUP and UUP support, which if the subject
were to rear its head again, they would no doubt receive. Many conservative MP’s
voted with the whips throughout the AV Bill votes. However, when Caroline Lucas
MP decided to table her motion, proposing that the question be changed allowing
for a choice of voting system in order of preference, they began to abstain en
masse, a few rebelling, suggesting perhaps that behind closed doors the ideas of
reform are welcome.
Whether or not the appetite for
electoral reform amongst the conservative intake is present, I doubt that the
pre-election murmurs of illegitimacy are going anywhere for a long time.