Tag: Alun Wyburn-Powell
“Safe seats” are only really safe as long as rival political parties neglect to target them
Are so called “safe seats” safe because of the devotion of their electors to a particular political party, or because the other parties simply don’t bother wasting their resources on ‘unwinnable’ contests? Alun Wyburn-Powell points to several examples, both historical and recent, which suggest that an intimidatingly large majority may be more fragile than it […]
MPs defections: a good career move which tends to form part of a wider political trend
Douglas Carswell has defected from the Conservatives to the United Kingdom Independence Party. He has taken the unusual step of opting to trigger a by-election, in effect asking the voters of his Clacton constituency permission for his decision. Alun Wyburn-Powell argues that MPs who defect tend to enjoy an enhanced career, and that their defection […]
The rise of multi-party politics heightens the chances of a perverse and unrepresentative outcome in next year’s General Election
The UK has seen elections three times since the First World War which have produced outcomes in which one party has won more seats, but finished second in vote share. Alun Wyburn-Powell argues that Britain’s First Past the Post electoral system could be set to produce a similar outcome at next year’s General Election, with the increasing […]
Mark Harper’s resignation may ultimately represent his best route back to ministerial office
The Conservative MP for the Forest of Dean, Mark Harper, recently resigned as Immigration Minister over paperwork irregularities with his cleaner. However, this need not necessarily mean the end of his ministerial career. Indeed, given the Conservatives’ pressing need to win constituencies like his at the 2015 General Election, the extra time he now has […]
The idea for a new National Liberal Party doesn’t add up
The Conservative MP Nick Boles has called for the establishment of a new National Liberal Party to field candidates jointly with his party. The idea is that the label could prove capable of drawing in a wider range of voters than the Conservative Party can currently attract. However Alun Wyburn-Powell argues that Boles’ idea might […]
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