EU Elections

I am sad that the EU elections have not provided any conclusion about how the Government and Opposition will engage in Brexit debate in Parliament after the results published this morning.

Those who support remain emphasise the outcome of remain are saying that their combined result points to a new referendum, while the leave parties say that the evidence is that the outcome would be the same.

But we are ignoring the fact that turnout was relatively low.  In my own area the turnout was only 37 percent, leaving an undecided or alienated vote of 63 per cent of voters who didn't voice their opinion.

If we had a general election now, it is unclear whether people would vote for their traditional parties, discarding the populist parties?  Evidence is that when the crunch comes, is that people will stick by what they know, rather take the risk of voting for the unknown.   Pro-Brexit parties didn't do well at the last general election, which delivered a hung parliament, despite an overall conservative majority., which had to rely on the votes of the DUP to get any government business done.

I voted, but not for any of the mainstream parties, which probably means a wasted vote, but at least I voted.  Perhaps its time to make voting compulsory rather than the current position that allows people to abstain if they can't be bothered. Australia has imposed this and their most recent general election, while close has delivered a clear winner.

The other option might be proportional representation, rejected by the UK Parliament, but something that deserves to be considered. The First Past the Post system has failed us, so perhaps a negotiated coalition after a proportional vote, might be more representative of the electorate.

Now is the time to debate change, alongside the Brexit debate, we deserve to be well represented and for sensible policies for the greater good of the whole of the UK, rather than a situation where the country is subject to the whims of a single governing party for six years at a time.