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May 25, 2007
News from Scotland and Wales
Three weeks on from the elections, thought it was worthwhile bringing people uptodate with developments and thinking.
SCOTLAND
ERS post-election briefing: "The Scottish Parliament elections have produced a Parliament that broadly reflects the views of Scottish voters. While the number of spoilt ballot papers is a serious cause for concern, the percentage of papers spoilt is not nearly as great as early predictions and problems with the ballot paper should not divert all the attention from an election in which the voting system worked tolerably well." Read more here, or download the full briefing either from the link above or via the publications section of the ERS website.
Plus:
- Push by LibDems to simply voting by bringing in STV for Scottish Parliamentary elections.
- A reminder of MVC initial comment from 4 May.
WALES
It seems the waiting is finally over and Rhodri Morgan will again be Welsh First Minister. The whole post-election coalition-building process was a new departure; and not the 'deals behind closed doors' scenario much predicted by detractors of PR. The deliberations from all sides were subjected to an unprecedented degree of view and scrutiny from party members and also – via the media - the public. It may have taken a while; it may not have been pretty (especially for parties being openly being pulled in two directions); and it may not have resulted in a majority-controlled executive. But new ways of seeking consensus and cross-party co-operation (even by the Conservatives) have been explored – a lesson that the Westminster-based parties may want to draw on come a hung parliament at the next general election.
Posted by malcolmclark on May 25, 2007
