SCOTLAND is “shifting back towards multi-party politics”, according to a voting reform campaign group.
The claim came from the Electoral Reform Society (ERS), who also revealed that two thirds of the votes cast in the General Election in Scotland were “wasted” and had no impact on the result.
Almost 1.8 million votes cast north of the Border in June did not go towards electing an MP, it found, putting that figure at 22 million (68 per cent) UK-wide.
Under the first past the post (FPTP) system, Labour won 27 per cent of votes cast in Scotland securing just 12 per cent of the seats, while the SNP won 37 per cent of votes cast but returned almost 60 per cent of seats, according to its research.
The report said “huge swings” in Scotland saw 21 of the 59 constituencies change hands – more than any other region or nation.
Large numbers of voters had turned to tactical voting strategies and the society claimed that some victories achieved in Scotland under FPTP were “precarious”, and hinged on just a handful of votes, since it returned four of the UK’s top ten smallest majorities.
The ERS branded the vote the “hold your nose” election after an estimated 6.5 million people across the UK made tactical decisions, and said the Conservatives could have won a majority if just 0.0016 per cent of voters had chosen differently.
Willie Sullivan, ERS Scotland director, said: “The ways that votes are converted into seats matters.
“As voters wake up to the failures of FPTP they are increasingly taking on the complex task of trying to game the system to make it reflect their wishes.
“A proportional system would create a much broader discussion of politics [and] ensure all votes are of equal value with citizens feeling empowered to take part.”
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