Member-only story
Why the British and American electoral systems are broken, in numbers.
The UK election brought to an abrupt end the political drama that started in 2016 with the Brexit referendum. For over 3 years the British people and their politicians have debated, argued, signed petitions, marched in protests, fought legal battles, and those who wanted to remain in the EU have lived with hope. That is now over.
Without a flicker of irony, Boris Johnson has claimed he will now heal the divisions created by the Brexit vote he largely brought about, much like an arsonist offering to put out the fire he just started in your house. But the numbers in the last British election suggest that healing divides is going to be very challenging indeed. The British election, in numbers, also shows what may happen in the American election. Increasingly, the failings of both the UK and US electoral systems mean that radical governments are winning power with a minority of the votes, and carrying out radical policies that leave large sections of both societies feeling disenfranchised and angry at what is happening to their countries. How is that possible in a democracy, and how might it play out?
The British election was as much about ‘democracy’ as it was about leaving the European Union. Many people who supported Brexit talked about doing the will of the people, respecting the outcome of the…
