It would appear that Sir Stuart Bell has a few questions to answer, not only from his constituents, according to gazettelive, but also from the Labour Party. This alleged failure to perform a duty, one that is surely obligatory as an MP, raises serious doubts as to his suitability to be a Member of Parliament.
As a side issue, it also raises the matter of the method by which candidates are elected to Parliament.
Let us consider the results of the general election of 2010:
| General Election 2010: Middlesbrough[3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Labour | Stuart Bell | 15,351 | 45.9 | -11.7 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Chris Foote-Wood | 6,662 | 19.9 | +1.2 | |
| Conservative | John Walsh | 6,283 | 18.8 | +2.3 | |
| Independent | Joan McTigue | 1,969 | 5.9 | +5.9 | |
| BNP | Michael Ferguson | 1,954 | 5.8 | +3.3 | |
| UKIP | Robert Parker | 1,236 | 3.7 | +1.3 | |
| Majority | 8,689 | 26.0 | |||
| Turnout | 33,455 | 51.4 | +2.7 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | -6.4 | |||
From an electorate of 65,851 only 33,455 bothered to turn out and register a vote and of that figure only 15,351 supported the winning candidate. This cannot be the only example where a candidate, securing only just over 20 percent support of the total electorate in a constituency is then elected to be a member of a political party who might form a government. That an element of voter apathy would appear to be a factor is only too obvious - or is it? I know not how many hustings Bell held, nor how much canvassing and where it was done. Prior to voting day on May 6th careful and detailed analysis of the voting register would show where rock solid support in the constituency existed and that a certain number of votes would secure victory - ergo, get those voters out and game over.
Perhaps there is a case for compulsory voting? It is accepted that in Middlesborough, the remaining 32,000+ may well turn up at polling stations and spoil their ballot paper - although I believe that would be unlikely. If we have to have a government, is this the most satisfactory method of electing one? If voter apathy does exist - and there is evidence to suggest that it does - then the sooner we change our system of democracy the better, as the present system has a whiff of gerrymandering to it.
