General Election was undemocratic, illegitimate and flawed

Saw this in the Shropshire Star tonight. Finally, someone has noticed that the election ws fiddled and decided to complain about it. The article says the result is being challenged but doesn't back that up with details.

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Reformers say MPs victories are flawed

By Sunita Patel

The democratic legitimacy of the last General Election is being challenged today in a new report which shows that not one single Shropshire MP was elected by even a third of his electorate.
A detailed analysis of results from across the country has been carriedout by two organisations, Charter 88 and Active Citizens Transform. According to their findings, Tony Blair’s victory on May 5 was not democratic, legitimate or representative.

That, claim the researchers, was because the Government was elected on a minority of
votes cast and just a fraction of the total electorate — 36.2 per cent - the lowest level of support for a government since the beginning of the democratic era with the Great Reform Act of 1832.

They have launched campaign calling for voters decide on a fair new way to elect MPs.

A breakdown of the results across Shropshire shows Ludlow MP Philip Dunne got the largest backing of his constituency with 32.5 per cent share of the local electorate.

Register

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson followed at the top end of the table, registering 30.5 per cent, then Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard on 28.1 per cent and Telford MP David Wright with 27.8 per cent of the local electorate voting for him.

Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski recorded the lowest percentage share with 26.2 per cent.

However, Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik was the only mid Wales/Shropshire MP to win the support of a third of his electorate.

Nowhere in Britain did any MP manage to attract the support of half the local electorate and only two received more than 40 per cent.

The report also highlights that it took just 26,858 votes to elect a Labour MP but 44,241 to elect a Tory and 98,484 to vote in a Liberal Democrat.

In England, 60,000 more people voted Conservative than Labour, but Labour won 92 more seats.

MPs backing change will introduce measures for reform in the form of Presentation Bills in the autumn.