With many labeling this year’s British election as historically unrepresentative, calls to reform or abandon the first-past-the-post system are ringing loudly. But the case against the UK system is deeply flawed – both factually and conceptually – and the alternatives on offer are even worse.
LONDON – Britons had good reason to celebrate earlier this month, as Keir Starmer’s Labour Party put an end to 14 years of Conservative Party rule. But after saying good riddance to the Tories, many within the British establishment had a nagging feeling of guilt: perhaps Labour owed its whopping majority not to disgust with the Tories, but to the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system.
LONDON – Britons had good reason to celebrate earlier this month, as Keir Starmer’s Labour Party put an end to 14 years of Conservative Party rule. But after saying good riddance to the Tories, many within the British establishment had a nagging feeling of guilt: perhaps Labour owed its whopping majority not to disgust with the Tories, but to the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system.