[My Note: the practice of setting electoral boundaries in order to benefit a particular party or group is known as gerrymandering. See Wikipedia entry on gerrymandering.]
Currently most constituencies have between 60,000 and 80,000 voters (with some outside at either end). The proposed reduction would push up the average to 75,000 registered voters, varying by no more than five per cent. The effect would be to reduce Labout-held seats and sustain or increase Tory-held ones.
Cameron's Coalition partners opposed this, and Parliament delayed implementation until 2020, fixing boundaries in 2018 based on who registered for the 2015 election. When the Tories won the 2015 election, it was not possible for Parliament to rescind the legislation.
The Boundaries Commission, which is responsible for setting constituency boundaries and is politically neutral, has now issued the first draft for consultation. The Tories enacted the law in its own interest, and other parties cannot easily oppose the idea of equality of voting.
The Boundary Commission cannot use the 2016 EU Referendum voter registration unless Parliament instructs it to do so. If this were to happen, the Boundary Commission could not complete its work by 2018.
A snap General Election is unlikely as it requires circumventing the five-year Parliament law and would have to be done on existing boundaries. It is unlikely at present that Labour would gain the 100 seats it would need to win a majority.
Our current electoral system promotes an unjust structure of government by using the first-past-the-post voting system. The boundary change proposals claim to give each vote equal merit, but in reality votes remain unequal. In safe seats, the result is usually known before the election. In marginals, tactical voting can change things in unexpected ways. Currently the Tory Government was elected by 36.9% of those who voted - but claims a mandate to do whatever it wishes.
The Single Transferable Vote (already used by the Church of England synods) delivers the result voters want, in the proportions in which they want it. Since the two main parties continue to want an overall majority, they will always vote for first-past-the-post - while electing their leaders by a more equitable system. STV is backed by the Greens, Liberal Democrats, Scottish Nationalists and all parties in Northern Ireland.
What can we do?
- Protest whenever the chance arises.
- If your sitting MP is not of your party, keep pressing them to represent your views in Parliament. At issue is accountability to voters.
