Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Monday, September 19, 2011

And now for a little gerrymandering

If we needed a reminder of a couple ways in which the British regime differs dramatically from the one in the US, this case offers great examples. Change the size of the legislature? No big deal, just pass a law. If your legislative constituency is eliminated, just find a new one. There's no residency requirement. The problem is that the constituency you want may be a plum for one of your colleagues.

The BBC article includes a link to a video report.

Top MPs at risk in shake-up of English constituencies

Some of the most high-profile MPs in Parliament face seeing their seats disappear as part of a far-reaching shake-up of the Commons map in 2015…

The proposals are part of a move to cut the number of MPs by 50 to 600 by the next general election…

Under plans approved by Parliament in February, England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland will all see their parliamentary representation reduced after the next election, due in May 2015.

The government believes a smaller Commons will lower the cost of politics, saving £12m a year, while the system will be fairer as the electorate in each constituency will be more uniform.

But some Labour MPs have accused the coalition of gerrymandering while some Lib Dems are reported to be unhappy about the prospect of losing seats in the shake-up…

The government said the plan to shrink the Commons was "right" and had been spelled out in the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and Lib Dems.

"The constituencies that were used in the 2010 general election vary widely in size and this process will make them more equal and ensure that everyone's vote has a more equal weight," a No 10 spokesman said…

One election expert said the political outcome of the shake-up would be to reduce but not eliminate the existing "bias" in the electoral map against the Conservatives, created by population shifts and the number of constituencies in England compared to Scotland and Wales.

Professor John Curtice, from the University of Strathclyde, said Conservative seats tended to be larger and turnout higher, meaning their MPs needed to gain more votes to get elected than their Labour counterparts and the party achieve a higher share of the vote to secure a majority.