The electoral system: Biased to Blair?

Parliamentary Affairs

Volumn 54, Issue 4, 2001, Pages 803-814

  Curtice, John ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0035486256     PISSN: 00312290     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/parlij/54.4.803     Document Type: Article

References (26)

1. A. Lijphart, Electoral Systems and Party Systems: A Study of Twenty-Seven Democracies, 1945-90, Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 20.
2. D. Butler, 'An Examination of the Results' in H. Nicholas, The British General Election of 1950, Macmillan, 1951; M. Kendall and A. Stuart, 'The Law of Cubic Proportions in Election Results', British Journal of Sociology, 1951; R. Taggepera and M. Shugart, Seats and Votes: The Effects and Determinants of Electoral Systems, Yale University Press, 1989.
3. D. Butler, 'An Examination of the Results' in H. Nicholas, The British General Election of 1950, Macmillan, 1951; M. Kendall and A. Stuart, 'The Law of Cubic Proportions in Election Results', British Journal of Sociology, 1951; R. Taggepera and M. Shugart, Seats and Votes: The Effects and Determinants of Electoral Systems, Yale University Press, 1989.
4. D. Butler, 'An Examination of the Results' in H. Nicholas, The British General Election of 1950, Macmillan, 1951; M. Kendall and A. Stuart, 'The Law of Cubic Proportions in Election Results', British Journal of Sociology, 1951; R. Taggepera and M. Shugart, Seats and Votes: The Effects and Determinants of Electoral Systems, Yale University Press, 1989.
5. For a longer version of this argument see J. Curtice, 'The British Electoral System: Fixture without Foundation' in D. Kavanagh (ed.), Electoral Politics, Clarendon Press, 1992.
6. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'Electoral Choice and the Production of Government: The Changing Operation of the Electoral System in the United Kingdom since 1955', British Journal of Political Science, 1982; J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'Proportionality and Exaggeration in the British Electoral System', Electoral Studies, 1986.
7. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'Electoral Choice and the Production of Government: The Changing Operation of the Electoral System in the United Kingdom since 1955', British Journal of Political Science, 1982; J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'Proportionality and Exaggeration in the British Electoral System', Electoral Studies, 1986.
8. But see D. Butler, The British General Election of 1951, Macmillan, 1952; D. Butler, The Electoral System in Britain, Oxford University Press, 1963; G. Gudgin and P. Taylor, Seats, Votes and the Spatial Organisation of Elections, Pion, 1979.
9. But see D. Butler, The British General Election of 1951, Macmillan, 1952; D. Butler, The Electoral System in Britain, Oxford University Press, 1963; G. Gudgin and P. Taylor, Seats, Votes and the Spatial Organisation of Elections, Pion, 1979.
10. But see D. Butler, The British General Election of 1951, Macmillan, 1952; D. Butler, The Electoral System in Britain, Oxford University Press, 1963; G. Gudgin and P. Taylor, Seats, Votes and the Spatial Organisation of Elections, Pion, 1979.
11. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'Neither Representative nor Accountable: First-Past-the Post in Britain' (Paper presented at the Annual Workshops of the European Consortium for Political Research, 1998); D. Rossiter, R. Johnston, C. Pattie, D. Dorling, I. MacAllister and H. Tunstall, 'Changing Biases in the Operation of the UK's Electoral System, 1950-97', British Journal of Political and International Relations, June 1999.
12. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'Neither Representative nor Accountable: First-Past-the Post in Britain' (Paper presented at the Annual Workshops of the European Consortium for Political Research, 1998); D. Rossiter, R. Johnston, C. Pattie, D. Dorling, I. MacAllister and H. Tunstall, 'Changing Biases in the Operation of the UK's Electoral System, 1950-97', British Journal of Political and International Relations, June 1999.
13. J. Curtice, 'The Hidden Surprise: The British Electoral System in 1992', Parliamentary Affairs, October 1992.
14. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'The Results Analysed' in D. Butler and D. Kavanagh, The British General Election of 1997, Macmillan, 1997.
15. R. Johnston, Political, Electoral and Spatial Systems, Clarendon Press, 1979.
16. Yet the gap widened less between 1997 and 2001 than it did between 1992 and 1997, when the average Conservative seat gained 1,961 electors while the average Labour one lost 265. The difference is greater than can be accounted for by the shorter time period between 1997 and 2001 and may be an indication the pattern of population movement may now be generating somewhat less bias to Labour than in the past.
17. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'The Results Analysed' in D. Butler and D. Kavanagh, The British General Election of 1992, Macmillan, 1992; J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1997, op. cit.
18. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'The Results Analysed' in D. Butler and D. Kavanagh, The British General Election of 1992, Macmillan, 1992; J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1997, op. cit.
19. Strictly speaking what determines the level of bias is not the difference in the total number of votes cast in Conservative and Labour won seats, but rather the total number of votes cast for those two parties alone. And the pro-Labour impact of the changes in electorate size and turnout discussed in the main text were further exaggerated by the fact that the share of the vote cast for third party candidates fell between 1997 and 2001 from 28.3% to 25.3% in seats won by the Conservatives while it rose from 18.5% to 21.0% in seats won by Labour, a pattern that further reduced the effective size of Labour held seats.
20. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1997. op. cit.
21. For further details see J. Curtice and M. Steed, 'The Results Analysed' in D. Butler and D. Kavanagh, The British General Election of 2001, Macmillan, 2001.
22. G. Evans, J. Curtice and P. Norris, 'New Labour, New Tactical Voting?' in D. Denver, J. Fisher, P. Cowley and C. Pattie (eds), British Elections and Parties Review Volume 8, Frank Cass, 1998.
23. C. Soper and J. Rydon, 'Under-Representation and Electoral Prediction', Australian Journal of Politics and History, 1958.
24. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1997, op. cit.; J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1998, op. cit.
25. J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1997, op. cit.; J. Curtice and M. Steed, 1998, op. cit.
26. J. Curtice, 'Reinventing the Yo-Yo? A Comment on the Electoral Provisions of the Scotland Bill', Scottish Affairs, 23, 1998.