#Hungry4Democracy

Next Tuesday, 6th February, will mark 100 years since (some) women in this country were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections.  Many who fought for decades to achieve this would be amazed at the fault lines in our democracy 100 years on.

In 2015, the Lib Dems, Greens and UKIP, collectively, got over 24% of the votes, but won only 1.5% of the seats.  In 2017, those who hold power received only 43% of the votes.  First-past-the-post ensures that a large swathe of seats never change hands; thousands of voters can be born, live and die feeling their vote is completely worthless.  Dorset West, for example, has not changed hands in the last 100 years!  This is a situation that leads to apathy on one hand and complacency on the other.   

The solution is electoral reform, and a change to a proportional voting system.  This would also help to achieve the equality that those suffragettes and suffragists were fighting for a century ago.  Every country (including Scotland and Wales) with more than 40% female MPs uses PR.

Many people will be demonstrating and/or fasting on Tuesday in support of this cause.  If you want to join them, please use #Hungry4Democracy over the next few days and, if you are able join in a 24-hour hunger strike from 8.0 pm on Monday 5th February.

(Culled from a longer original by Baroness Sal Brinton,  President of the Liberal Democrats.)