# BritDopers (and nosy foreigners) - The general election 2010 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 6, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133 "2010-04-06T11:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 37
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/721 "2010-05-09T11:11:07Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Can anyone provide the figures for how many individual voters each main party had? [BBC Full Results](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/) Conservative: 10,706,647 Labour: 8,604,358 Liberal Democrats: 6,827,938 EDIT: Damn you!! Obviously the BBC has a left wing bias… ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/722 "2010-05-09T11:13:01Z")
You’ve got to be quicker than that! 😉 So, how many potential voters was there? I thought I’d read 40 million, somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/723 "2010-05-09T11:14:03Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Can anyone provide the figures for how many individual voters each main party had? ```auto Party Seats Votes Conservative 306 10,706,647 Labour 258 8,604,358 Liberal Democrat 57 6,827,938 UKIP 0 917,832 BNP 0 563,743 SNP 6 491,386 Green 1 285,616 Sinn Féin 5 171,942 Democratic Unionist 8 168,216 Plaid Cymru 3 165,394 SDLP 3 110,970 ``` On preview I see I should have gone for speed rather than pretty formatting. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/724 "2010-05-09T11:16:46Z")
I like your pretty formatting. And you told me how many BNP assholes there are registered in my country. ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/725 "2010-05-09T11:17:48Z")
Based on 29.6 million votes and a 65% turnout I make it a potential voter pool of 45.5 million. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/726 "2010-05-09T12:24:29Z")
Can’t we name and shame those who didn’t fulfil their obligation? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Urban\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Urban_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/727 "2010-05-09T13:21:38Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Can’t we name and shame those who didn’t fulfil their obligation? I didn’t vote, though not because I didn’t want to. The queue at my polling station was so long that it closed before I was allowed to cast my ballot. I live in a ‘safe seat’, but it was still galling, not being able to affect the popular vote. If you had mandatory voting, it would just result in a ‘none of the above’ party. Besides most ‘political apathy’ isn’t caused by people being apathetic about politics, rather disillusionment with the available parties and the current voting system. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/728 "2010-05-09T14:11:56Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Well, not quite **anyone**. You obviously didn’t see the BNP party election broadcast with the turban-wearing Asian doctor bigging them up. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/729 "2010-05-09T16:26:26Z")
Thanks for the tutorial on Cabinet government, **Captain Amazing** and **Polycarp**. Of course that contrasts quite a bit with the role of the U.S. Cabinet, as **BrainGlutton** noted. An apocryphal story from the Civil War era has President Lincoln polling his Cabinet as to a policy he wanted to pursue. Summing up their views, he said with a smile, “The vote is six nays and one aye. The ayes have it.” The current Brown Cabinet of 22: [Brown ministry - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Ministry) The Obama Cabinet also, coincidentally enough, now has 22 members: [Cabinet of Barack Obama - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_Cabinet#Cabinet_appointees) Churchill’s first War Cabinet, by contrast, had just 5 members: [War cabinet - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_cabinet) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/730 "2010-05-09T17:53:07Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Churchill’s first War Cabinet, by contrast, had just 5 members: [War cabinet - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_cabinet) Although, as your article notes, the War cabinet is just a specially convened sub-Cabinet, not the Cabinet of the whole government. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/731 "2010-05-09T17:57:12Z")
And Churchill led a coalition government from 1940 to 1945. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/732 "2010-05-10T07:56:01Z")
> [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](#): > > I didn’t vote, though not because I didn’t want to. The queue at my polling station was so long that it closed before I was allowed to cast my ballot. I live in a ‘safe seat’, but it was still galling, not being able to affect the popular vote. > > If you had mandatory voting, it would just result in a ‘none of the above’ party. Besides most ‘political apathy’ isn’t caused by people being apathetic about politics, rather disillusionment with the available parties and the current voting system. I did vote and as it turns out it was a wasted vote, not only did I vote against my incumbent Tory candidate (who won anyway), the people I voted for (Lib Dems) are now trying to form a government with these people. Until we get some form of PR or other reform to our system I will not be voting again, there seems little point. In the area I live nothing can overturn the Tory majority, even having a candidate with a record of cash for questions, poor voting record and high expenses claims doesn’t deter the rich from voting for him. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/733 "2010-05-10T08:08:45Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I did vote and as it turns out it was a wasted vote, not only did I vote against my incumbent Tory candidate (who won anyway), the people I voted for (Lib Dems) are now trying to form a government with these people. > > Until we get some form of PR or other reform to our system I will not be voting again, there seems little point. In the area I live nothing can overturn the Tory majority, even having a candidate with a record of cash for questions, poor voting record and high expenses claims doesn’t deter the rich from voting for him. Don’t forget that many people choose who to vote for for all sorts of not necessarily good reasons. [ul] [li]Because they always have voted for party X. Always have, always will. Actual policies don’t count, either at all, or much.[/li][li]They like either the candidate or the leader. Nothing to do with policies. “I like that nice Mr Clegg/Cameron/Brown.” (Oh, alright, probably not Gordon Brown.)[/li][li]They have a perception of what the party stands for, which may not necessarily actually reflect the party’s policies.[/li][li]They know that a party (say, Lib Dems) won’t get in, so they think they might as well vote Tory or Labour.[/li][li]They’re ‘persuaded’ to vote for a party based on popular opinion, what their friends say, what they’ve read in the paper of their choice etc.[/li][/ul] I am pretty certain that relatively few people have actually studied - and understood - the party’s manifesto. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/734 "2010-05-10T10:45:58Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I did vote and as it turns out it was a wasted vote. Arguably everybody’s vote, in isolation, was wasted - no constituency was decided by one vote, so no individual made any difference. Of course, if everyone took that view, the system would collapse. True PR makes your vote much more likely to count. With 650 seats and 30 million votes, you have a one in 46,154 chance of casting the vote that gets your favored party another seat. I didn’t vote - I am not sure if I can (no UK address, lived overseas for years). I have not explored whether I can get a postal vote - more trouble than it is worth - see paragraph 1. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/735 "2010-05-10T10:51:39Z")
No vote is wasted. My constituency would normally be called a safe Labour seat, but it was in fact, a terrifically tight 3-way battle, which Labour just won. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/736 "2010-05-10T11:03:15Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I did vote and as it turns out it was a wasted vote, not only did I vote against my incumbent Tory candidate (who won anyway), the people I voted for (Lib Dems) are now trying to form a government with these people. > > Until we get some form of PR … If we get some form of PR then get used to them jumping into bed with ‘someone’ because you’ll almost certainly never see anything else again. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/737 "2010-05-10T11:13:47Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > No vote is wasted. My constituency would normally be called a safe Labour seat, but it was in fact, a terrifically tight 3-way battle, which Labour just won. Are you in Hampstead & Kilburn, perchance? Glenda Jackson (whom, I must confess, I thought had retired) won her seat with a majority of a mere 42; the Liberal Democrats in third place were only 799 votes behind the second-place Conservatives. That’s a pretty close race all around. A friend of the LibDem candidate reports that the Tories and LibDems campaigned vigorously there while Jackson…didn’t. I hope she’s had a wakeup call. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/738 "2010-05-10T11:43:08Z")
Wait… Glenda Jackson, the actress? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/739 "2010-05-10T11:44:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Wait… Glenda Jackson, the actress? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/740 "2010-05-10T11:59:38Z")
She’s been an MP since 1992. She’s very Old Labour. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133.md?page=38)