Elections should be about deciding what's best for your community and for the country. They shouldn't be about trying to guess who's best placed to stop the outcome you fear the most. What we're seeing in Gorton and Denton shows very clearly why we need Proportional Representation.

@pollytoynbee.bsky.social on Peter Kellner: 'if anti-Reform votes split, then he says “first past the post will deliver a Reform victory”.' If we had #PR we could: @makevotesmatter.bsky.social so there'd be no need for FPTP's 5D chess tactics at the ballot box. share.google/9aCLYuD6KgJx...

"The collision of a multiparty electorate with a voting system designed for two parties is creating new risks for Britain". I signed this letter. It's not about blocking Reform;it's about the danger to democracy of a system that can't cope with multiparty voting www.politicshome.com/news/article...

"We need a new settlement between the British people and Westminster." @billybragg.bsky.social is on point here 💯🔥 Fixing the deep crises that our country is facing starts with giving people agency - a system where their voices are truly heard. It's called Proportional Representation.

Over the weekend, more than 50 academics urged the government to shift away from first-past-the-post, warning that it is not designed to handle multi-party politics The letter, shared with PolHome, said it risks electoral "distortions" on an "unprecedented" scale at the next general election

"We will not defeat poisonous, exclusionary movements by ostracising their voters; we will defeat them by building a politics that listens, represents, and dilutes the incentives for hate." @elliechowns.bsky.social for @bestforbritain.org on how a fair voting system can help protect UK democracy 👇

We need an electoral revolution. Read my full op-ed here: bestforbritain.substack.com/p/we-need-an...

Campaign for proportional representation (PR) 'Make Votes Matter' celebrated Valentine's Day by sending a card to each Oxfordshire MP, declaring 'Witney loves Democracy' (for example). They are campaigning to add a demand for PR to the Representation of the People bill going through Parliament.

This really shows how unrepresentative of public opinion our elections have become. It's not just that seats in Parliament have little to do with how people voted. It's also that people feel like they can't vote how they want in the first place. We need PR more than ever.

The era of two-party politics is over. Under First Past the Post, this means: ❌ MPs most constituents didn't vote for ❌ Single-party governments that most of the country never wanted @appgfairelections.bsky.social Chair @alexsobel.co.uk is right: this is not a way to run a democracy.

Whoever wins in Gorton & Denton will do so on a small minority of the vote. Thousands of voters will be left unrepresented - and thousands will know they didn't even vote how they wanted in the first place. In 2029, this could be the case in most seats. Scrap First Past the Post now.

We live in one of the most unequal societies in the developed world. Counting votes fairly would change that. 🙏 Lesley, Ashley, Helgi — especially @misterapb.bsky.social — and @mvmnorthwestsurrey.bsky.social members for presenting our card to @monicaharding.bsky.social Please like & share 👇

You wouldn't marry someone just because they're better than your most toxic ex (well, we hope not!). So why do we have a voting system that keeps forcing us to choose the least worst option? This #ValentinesDay, let's demand a system that allows us all to vote with our 💘

🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨 50 leading academics, former senior public officials and politics, law and policy experts warn about the risks of First Past the Post. Letter in @politicshome.bsky.social today 👇

🚨 Over 50 leading academics have sounded the alarm on the UK's voting system ⚠️ In an era of multi-party politics, First Past the Post risks “random and arbitrary” results like never before 🗳️ The experts' letter warn Ministers they must address this to stem growing instability and distrust

I never really sign stuff. But this was different. It's not about trying to facilitate or block a particular party's route to power. It's about an electoral system that's unsuited to the political realities we face today and risks giving us government after government with no convincing mandate.

Nice 😁😍😍!

MVMNWSURREY supporters of electoral reform just had a Valentine's Day meeting with Esher & Walton MP Monica Harding. 🙏Thanks @monicaharding.bsky.social🙏for your support of #fairvotes so we can @makevotesmatter.bsky.social ❤️❤️😊!

🚨BREAKING: The new Representation of the People Bill is here. The Bill aims to "restore trust in our democracy" - but it doesn't even touch the voting system that leaves millions unrepresented. 60% of Brits want to scrap First Past the Post. Tell Starmer to include electoral reform in the Bill ⬇️

APPG Members Sean Woodcock MP and Jo Platt MP today warn that Westminster's First Past The Post electoral system could deliver chaos, and call on the government to launch a National Commission on Electoral Reform.

🏚️ "We are reaching a tipping point... Outdated institutions are dying hard and fast, and Westminster’s voting system is one of them." - Jenny Riddell-Carpenter MP @jenny4suffcoast.bsky.social warns First Past The Post is headed for chaos #Labour4PR🌹 www.progressonline.org.uk/electoral-re...

📜 APPG member Jenny Riddell-Carpenter @jenny4suffcoast.bsky.social calls for the Government to set up a National Commission on Electoral Reform 👇

🗳️ The Government must address First Past the Post - starting with a National Commission on Electoral Reform 🗓️ Join our briefing on the Representation of the People Bill at 18:00, Wednesday 18 February 3/3

🚨 The Government publishes its Bill to reform elections tomorrow 📜 This includes votes at 16, tighter donation rules & simpler voter registration 🤦 But the 'Representation of the People Bill' doesn’t do what it says on the tin - most people still won’t be represented 1/3

"We need to face the fact that the threats to public trust in our democracy... also relate to the structural weaknesses in the way we do politics in this country." Thank you @elliechowns.bsky.social for making the case for fair votes. The Elections Bill must include Proportional Representation.

Disinformation thrives when trust in politics is undermined. Our voting system leaves millions of people without a voice, eroding trust in our democracy. Thank you to @appgfairelections.bsky.social Chair @alexsobel.co.uk for making this important point in Parliament.

"It will take more than individual resignations or convictions to fix this. Prevention, not deterrent, is the way forward. Many will rightly call for electoral reform" 👍@stellacreasy.bsky.social many are calling for this change to: @makevotesmatter.bsky.social ! www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

It's a big day for us. Today MVM was appointed co-secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group @appgfairelections.bsky.social. We're delighted to partner with our friends at @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social and thank @fairvoteuk.bsky.social for their work. Read more:

"if Keir Starmer takes one thing from both Caerphilly and Gorton, it needs to be about the voting system.The archaic dog mess that is first-past-the-post needs to be ditched.It allows outright majorities based on a minority of voters."@makevotesmatter.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Racist and disgusting! When will Americans stop accepting Trump’s offensive behaviour? news.sky.com/story/donald...

“The combined tuition fees of the entire Question Time panel would not cover my cost for 1 year of uni. Is that fair?” Oli Dugmore It’s absolutely NOT fair. This outrageous scandal must end

"If Keir Starmer takes one thing from both Caerphilly and Gorton, it needs to be about the voting system. The archaic dog mess that is first-past-the-post needs to be ditched. It allows outright majorities based on a minority of voters." ✍️ @willhaycardiff.bsky.social

"if Keir Starmer takes one thing from both Caerphilly and Gorton, it needs to be about the voting system.The archaic dog mess that is first-past-the-post needs to be ditched.It allows outright majorities based on a minority of voters."@makevotesmatter.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Here's an impressive Zack Polanski on Starmer, Mandelson, McSweeney and Thiel – and on the importance of sometimes putting country before party politics. [SOUND ON 🔊]

This, for me, is the decisive argument for getting rid of FPTP: voters, activists, and strategists will effectively be going into the next election blind, and a lot of the results will feel basically random

“We’re in a worse position than Germany when it comes to the Right, because Germany has Proportional Representation… we’re taking a huge gamble with Farage under First Past The Post, because he could win on 29%” warns Lord Roger Liddle With @thefabians.bsky.social @fesonline.bsky.social #Labour4PR

We don't know who will win in Gorton and Denton. But we can be almost certain that: - The next MP will have received a small minority of the vote, likely under 1/3. - Thousands will vote tactically and not for who they actually want. This is not what democracy should look like.

Regardless of which party you support, this is a key point by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social: "With Proportional Representation, no one would ever need to worry about splitting the vote again. We could vote for the parties we actually wanted." Wouldn't that be nice? To vote with hope, not fear?

@zackpolanski.bsky.social is asked about who he might work with in the future & he explains its not about any individual politician but the policy platform they were offering (he mentions a few demands he'd be making - a wealth tax, action on the climate crisis, & electoral reform)

So we've had six Prime Ministers in the past decade and rumours keep swirling about a 7th one on the horizon. And yet people who should know better are still telling us that First Past the Post leads to political stability. Were you living in a cave or what? 🤦🏻‍♀️

"Our First Past the Post electoral system is not fit for purpose. Countries with PR systems report a higher level of voter trust and of voter turnout than in the UK." Well done to our activist Sue whose letter was printed in today's Oxford Mail and Oxford Times👇

So the government shutdown doesn't affect the ICE thugs? Then we have no government. ABOLISH ICE and throw the trash administration in the dumpster.

This is the BEST explanation I have seen so far.

Can First Past the Post cope with multi-party politics? 🗒️ The APPG was delighted to host a private briefing in Parliament today with… 🗣️ Professor Sir John Curtice of @unistrathclyde.bsky.social 🗣️ Dr David Klemperer of @uniofbath.bsky.social 🪑 Emma Harrison of @makevotesmatter.bsky.social

"1 in 5 people were in relative poverty, defined as less than 60% of median income.""6.8 million people were struggling to survive on far, far less than that, having effectively been economically cut adrift. Some 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2022" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It's not radical to think every vote should count. It's not radical to think every constituency should matter. It's not radical to think 34% of the vote is not a landslide. It's not radical to want to vote for the party you truly support. It's common sense. #PRnow

"This government has become very adept at U-turns. Apparently it is time to turn again. By deciding to block Andy Burnham’s candidacy... the Labour NEC has turned its back on a different and better form of politics..." Compass Director Neal Lawson in @theguardian.com.

Each new defection confirms it: the old two-party system is dead and buried. Under FPTP, this means chaos. We can't keep pretending nothing has changed, stick with the same voting system and expect voters to still have trust in our democracy. We need PR before it's too late.

I just signed a @mainstreamlabour.bsky.social petition - Guarantee a Fair and Open Selection for the Gorton and Denton By-election. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/gu...

Board of Peace - Season 1