Proposed by Cllr Garden

Liberal Democrat member motion

First Past the Post is an archaic system that distorts representation and weakens public engagement with politics. It is no longer fit for purpose in the 21st Century. It encourages divisive and tribal politics.

The mismanagement of the UK’s political system by a single-party government especially over the past four years has demonstrated the need for proportional representation (PR) even more strongly. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the flaws of a centralised system in Westminster, and we have encountered the frustrations of poor decision-making in this top-down approach first-hand. The political situation may be worse by the time of the next election.

The results of last year’s general election speak for themselves. On average it took 38,300 votes to elect each Conservative MP, and a staggering 864,743 to elect the one Green MP. Essentially the Conservatives got 44% of votes but 56% of seats and tragically 71% of votes cast were wasted. At the moment, millions of voters are being left effectively voiceless as they live in safe seats where their vote is unlikely to have any influence on the outcome.

The Conservative Party has been the main beneficiary of First Past the Post (FPTP) over the past 50 years which would explain their reluctant and misleading compromise for electoral reform in the form of the 2011 Alternative Vote (AV) Referendum. There are many possible systems under PR but AV is not one of them.

Recent events in the USA have shown the fragility of democracy. We have a responsibility in safeguarding it. People should have the right to vote for their first choice, not a choice between the least bad candidate with a chance of winning and a wasted vote. It is not how people form consensus in everyday life and shouldn’t be in choosing their government.

Oxford City has repeatedly shown its place in the world. As a city, we should call for a fair voting system that ensures politics works for people. We should call for a pre-election commitment to Proportional Representation. The current system is not working. We need to build a democracy that is fit for the 21st century and in which every vote really counts.

This Council therefore wishes to express its strong support for electoral reform by:

1.     Publicly expressing its support for Proportional Representation and encouraging individual Councillors to do likewise.

2.     Asking the Leader to write to the City’s MPs asking them to build cross-party consensus on a representative system that is fair and fit to deal with future challenges.

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.

Proposed by Cllr Garden

Liberal Democrat member motion

First Past the Post is an archaic system that distorts representation and weakens public engagement with politics. It is no longer fit for purpose in the 21st Century. It encourages divisive and tribal politics.

The mismanagement of the UK’s political system by a single-party government especially over the past four years has demonstrated the need for proportional representation (PR) even more strongly. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the flaws of a centralised system in Westminster, and we have encountered the frustrations of poor decision-making in this top-down approach first-hand. The political situation may be worse by the time of the next election.

The results of last year’s general election speak for themselves. On average it took 38,300 votes to elect each Conservative MP, and a staggering 864,743 to elect the one Green MP. Essentially the Conservatives got 44% of votes but 56% of seats and tragically 71% of votes cast were wasted. At the moment, millions of voters are being left effectively voiceless as they live in safe seats where their vote is unlikely to have any influence on the outcome.

The Conservative Party has been the main beneficiary of First Past the Post (FPTP) over the past 50 years which would explain their reluctant and misleading compromise for electoral reform in the form of the 2011 Alternative Vote (AV) Referendum. There are many possible systems under PR but AV is not one of them.

Recent events in the USA have shown the fragility of democracy. We have a responsibility in safeguarding it. People should have the right to vote for their first choice, not a choice between the least bad candidate with a chance of winning and a wasted vote. It is not how people form consensus in everyday life and shouldn’t be in choosing their government.

Oxford City has repeatedly shown its place in the world. As a city, we should call for a fair voting system that ensures politics works for people. We should call for a pre-election commitment to Proportional Representation. The current system is not working. We need to build a democracy that is fit for the 21st century and in which every vote really counts.

This Council therefore wishes to express its strong support for electoral reform by:

1.     Publicly expressing its support for Proportional Representation and encouraging individual Councillors to do likewise.

2.     Asking the Leader to write to the City’s MPs asking them to build cross-party consensus on a representative system that is fair and fit to deal with future challenges.

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.