Effective /ineffective fptp

• MD Debating chamber


  Where members of the government, including the first minister, are asked questions. There are debates on proposed bills, ideas for laws, and suggestions for amendments to laws.
• Bill


  The name given to laws that have not been passed
• FPTP (First Past the Post)


  • Provides stable government, with the government in power for long periods and few general elections
• Stable government


  Is good for the economy and quality of life
• FPTP


  • Allows by-elections to take place in case an MP has retired or died
• FPTP


  • Gives constituents the opportunity to show their disapproval of a candidate, party, or government by voting to replace them
• Wasted votes


  Votes apart from the MP who won the constituency are lost and forgotten about
• Most of the time, people vote against you and the MP will win the constituency because they got more votes than the one that became second, not because the majority voted for them
• 2017 - Conservative lost their majority but still had more seats than any other party, despite only winning 42% of the vote.
• 2015 - Conservative won with 36% of the vote
• If a voter wants to vote for a small party, they risk wasting their vote as the larger parties could easily win the election with fewer votes.
• In 2019, the Conservatives won 80% of the seats on just over 43% of the vote