Labour and Social Democracy.

I've been following the labour leadership contest and i read David Miliband's Keir Hardie Lecture and thought that that is a Labour party i could join, i could be part of.

My one problem with Labour and social democrats, socialists, and democratic socialists is that they say they believe in these movements and these views but they like First-Past-the-Post electoral system which is the most undemocratic, unfair system in the world.

Tony Blair defined the Labour party as "The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect."


If you believe that you should be one of the democratic socialists, social democrats and socialists that make up the Labour party.


Look at the 97, 01 and 05 election stats for the election of a labour government and think if they represent Labour values of democracy, of tolerance, of respect.


              % electorate     % vote    % seats
1997               30.8           43.2         63.4
2001               24.2           40.7         62.5
2005               21.6           35.3         55.2


I, as someone who wants a democracy, can't say that those numbers are fair. I see the complete unfairness in those numbers. The problem i have with Labour is that they think those numbers are fair. My Labour MP likes FPTP, she thinks it fair to take away 20% of people's vote, she thinks its fair to take away the voice and the vote of 20% of people who voted -  for what power. 


Andy Burnham loves these numbers, he wants to see those kind of numbers for the rest of the century, in fact i think he would love to see labour get 30% of the vote and 60% of the seats. My problem with Labour is every single leadership contender actually condones these and wants to see them again. If you're a Labour member/supporter and like those numbers then i'm sorry but you've just sold out your principles for power. Those numbers are not tolerating 20% of the views that you have ignored and you're not respecting those 20% of voters who voted for someone else.


Labour keep hounding Nick Clegg for selling out, he made a difficult decision. He had to compromise with someone. Labour sold out their social democratic principles and they didn't even need to compromise.


If you believe in Labour values, then you have to support proportional representation. AV maybe a step in providing that but it is still unfair and undemocratic.