Becci's Political Musings

Voting is seen as a democratic right. The media horrifies us by accounting those who are denied this right. Despite this, in leading democracies, such as the UK, many chose not to vote at all. This blog is going to highlight the many reasons why you should leave your sofa on polling day. I am not going to suggest who to vote for, as it is not the aim of this blog to influence anyone how to vote. I do not see any reason why a person should not vote, as postal voting is available for anyone who cannot get to the polling station on the day. This is why in this post I will not explain why people do not vote, as I feel it would justify people not to vote. The major reason to vote is to hold the incumbent government to account. There is always a future election hanging over any government, no matter how far away. They know any controversial policy should always be approached with caution; this is irrespective of how large a majority they may have. It is often the controversial policies...

What makes the Eastleigh by-election so different? Firstly it is necessary to explain what a by-election is and its significance to parliament, before looking into the particular case of Eastleigh. A by-election occurs when a seat becomes vacant in the Houses of Parliament, caused either by death or a resignation. By-elections have little impact upon the balance of parliament, unless there is a small majority, meaning that the campaign is often subdued and the result is barely mentioned in the national media. There have been 15 by-elections since the 2010 General Election for the 647 seats in parliament. Due to the fact that usually only one seat has a by-election at any one time, the issues are often more localised compared to a national campaign which is used for a general election. The local nature of by-elections often causes more candidates to stand on local issues. In Eastleigh’s case there were 14 candidates. The cost incurred to stand for a by-election is a fraction of th...