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Colchester District, Reino Unido
Under ‘first past the post’ (FPTP), voters can hold governments to account by ‘throwing the rascals out’. The 2024 British general election appears to offer a clear-cut example, with voters removing the Conservatives after 14 years in government. However, FPTP ensures that the principal alternative to a Conservative government is a Labour government. This article argues that ‘throwing the rascals out’ works best for centrist voters with a genuine choice between the two major governing options. But it is problematic for non-centrist voters because it can deliver a government they prefer even less. The article focuses on Conservative promises and failings on immigration policy to show that right-wing voters who wanted to punish the government by abstaining or voting for Reform UK effectively magnified Labour’s victory into a parliamentary ‘super-majority’ in 2024. The prospect of such outcomes occurring is greater in an era of dealignment and party fragmentation, where non-centrist electoral options are available but FPTP hinders their ability to convert votes into seats. This problem would be less likely to occur under a proportional electoral system because voters can switch support between proximate parties in the same ideological ‘bloc’ without indirectly helping the rival bloc.
