VLK
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Do you trust the Boundary-Commission?In the recent review of British constituency-boundaries, it was calculated that if people voted exactly the same way in the next election as they did in 2005 but under the new boundaries, there would be a loss of 12 seats for Labour.
In a system of FPTP the public trust in the impartiality of the boundary commision is of utmost importance. As soon as there is serious doubt that constituencies are being gerrymandered there is no future for the electoral-system itself.
There are certain rules which the BC has to abide by but otherwise they are quite free to divide different regions into constituencies. A district can be divided into many constituencies and many districts can be one constituency but it is not possible that part of a district and a part or whole of another district forms a constituency.
Do you trust that they are honest people and donīt gerrymander the constituencies?
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agentmancuso
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Yes.
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The Lithgae Jambo
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Re: Do you trust the Boundary-Commission? | VLK wrote: | | In the recent review of British constituency-boundaries, it was calculated that if people voted exactly the same way in the next election as they did in 2005 but under the new boundaries, there would be a loss of 12 seats for Labour. |
Surely that should be the basis of an argument against the FPTP system, rather than a question about the BC ?
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SLG
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I think all the parties have tried to influence the BC for their own ends. I wouldn't expect anything less though. Some may have been slightly more successful than other, but I don't think there is anything to suggest it goes so far as gerrymandering on the part of the BC. I've only really looked closely at certain areas though.
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VLK
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Indeed, the reviews of boundaries benefit and work against both parties more or less in the same manner, so neither of them can seriously blame the BC of gerrymandering. The fact is that as the boundaries are redrawn between 10 years while the population-changes are rapid and therefore most boundaries are very obsolete by the time of the last election under the old boundaries.
In marginal constituencies transferring one block of flats from one constituency to another, may cause the seat to change hands even if peopleīs voting behaviour didnīt change.
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VLK
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In fact, I made an incorrect statement in my opening post. Under the new boundaries but same voting behaviour as in 2005 the Tories would gain 12 seats and Labour lose seven seats. There are five new seats to be created.
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