Political opinion: Proportional Representation advocates to campaign in Huddersfield
On Saturday 13 September, Make Votes Matter will hold a street stall in Huddersfield’s St George’s Square to mark International Day of Democracy on Monday 15 September.
Make Votes Matter is a cross-party advocacy group calling for the replacement of the First Past The Post system currently used for Westminster elections with one of Proportional Representation.
While Keir Starmer’s government has announced a series of political reforms including restoring Supplementary Voting for mayoral and PCC elections and lowering of the voting age to 16, ministers have voiced opposition to electoral reform at Westminster. This position has likely frustrated Labour’s pro-PR members. Labour had overwhelmingly voted for electoral reform at their 2022 party conference and their party’s MPs comprise a majority of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections.
For International Democracy Day, MVM members nationwide plan to raise awareness about and support for fair votes and to challenge the government’s resistance to electoral reform. MVM argues that FPTP distorts public opinion, leaving millions of voters unrepresented and increasing the risk of political volatility as the UK moves away from two-party politics.
As Huddersfield is the birthplace of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, MVM are holding their stall near his statue in St George’s Square in recognition of the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 during his premiership.
With the Starmer ministry advancing some reforms and refusing others, the MVM campaigners are also encouraging members of the public to support adjacent petitions.
One on the UK Parliament website calls for PR to be used at the next general election. As the private member’s Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill is due to receive its second reading next May, there is an avenue for this becoming reality.
Another on Change.org calls for public service broadcasters to host a televised debate on the Westminster voting system, between keeping FPTP and replacing it with a proportional system. It is intended get debate into a more open and public forum and to better educate the public.
MVM West Yorkshire are a welcoming group who organise regular campaign activities across the county. If you are interested in joining, you are welcome to email them at [email protected].