Saturday 7 April 2007

Council candidates 'walk in' unopposed!

Yet once again, many people of Whitby will not get to vote for a candidate in the elections in May. In Mayfield Ward for example, your unelected councillors will not have a true mandate from the people, simply because there were no other candidates standing for election. Why is this? Are people so disillusioned with the whole political process, or is it apathy? There are a number of reasons of course, one of which is the electoral system itself. 'First Past The Post' elections are a thing of the past - at least in Ireland and Scotland, where the 'Single Transferable Vote' method of electing candidates will take place in May's local elections. It can't be right that a government (or a council) is returned to power with 37% of the popular vote; areas where safe seats are not contested, and political parties do not bother to canvass simply because they know they are going to win. Proportional Representation is the fairest method, where everyone's vote will count - but don't take my word for it - visit http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/ where you can find all you need.

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