Is it me or is there more blue on that map than any other colour?

There is indeed more land on the map that is blue than any other colour. It is an odd electoral system we have, this First Past The Post.

If you look at the percentage of votes that each party received, it goes something like this (can’t find exact figures for the moment):
* Labour 36%
* Conservatives 32%
* Liberal Democrats 26%

This is the lowest majority that any ruling party has ever had. And yet, in terms of the number of seats in Parliament that the ruling party has, it is seriously skewed in their favour:
* Labour 356
* Conservatives 197
* Liberal Democrats 62

So, the Lib Dems, who got around a quarter of the population’s vote get only 10% of the seats in Parliament.

I wonder when we are going to get Proportional Representation. Then the views of the public would be reflected in the elected government of the day.

Then people may be more inclined to vote for who they actually want to represent them, rather than who is the least worst choice that might prevent some other, even worse, opponent from getting into power.

More links:
* Here is a chart of how the electorate voted by age, sex, and social class.

* An anecdote from Dorset West where, at the vote counting centre, the shelf holding all the Labour votes collapsed and crashed onto the floor.

Looks like Birmingham is in the dragon’s mouth and manchester right in the middle of it’s throat!

Is it me or is there more blue on that map than any other colour?

Sure, it could be a seahorse but it could also be a dragon bowing :) for me that’s a more interesting conversation …

Looks like a seahorse to me.

Indeed. And they said as much here!

Still, I thought that the headline “Welsh Seahorse Rises At Election” wouldn’t have quite the same impact…