A Democratic Deficit The 2005 Election

1
A Democratic Deficit? The 2005 Election

• John Curtice
• Strathclyde University

2
The Result
3
The Result in Scotland
4
The Records

• Second lowest turnout since 1918
• First time Labour has won a majority for third
  time in a row
• Lowest ever vote share for a majority government
• Lowest ever vote for Con and Lab combined
• Highest vote for GB Others since 1918

5
And a few more

• Biggest ever drop in votes for a Lab govt.
• More than twice as many LD gains from Lab (11) as
  in whole post-war period (5).
• First ever period of Lab govt in which LD vote
  has risen.
• Most LibDem MPs since 1923.
• More non-nationalist GB others (3) elected than
  at any time since 1945.

6
Scottish Records

• Lib Dems in top two for first time since 1910
• Conservatives come fourth for first time ever
• Combined vote for Con and Lab lowest since 1910

7
The Questions

• Why did so few people vote?
• Why did so few vote Labour (or Conservative)
• How did Labour win so many seats?

8
Interest in Politics
9
Interest Matters More
10
Final Poll Leads
11
Still little difference?
12
The Widening Age Gap
13
Labour Vote 1945-2005
14
Rise and Fall of Two-Party Vote
15
Muslim Seats
16
Respect in Muslim Seats
17
Why not vote Labour?
18
Labour Student Seats
19
Conservative Image
20
The Other Vote
21
Country Differences
22
A democratic deficit?

• The electorate held Labour to account for its
  failures
• But their ability to do so was constrained by the
  working of the electoral system
• And a one-sided contest with no choice failed to
  mobilise voters again.