Boards
Kick The Rascals Out - or not: How first past the post has only delivered a transfer of power from one single party majority government to another once in over 100 years
David Cameron says:
If you want a system that lets you, as the Americans say, ‘throw the rascals out’...You must vote on May 5th, and you must vote No to AV.
Yes to Fairer Votes says:
In just 1 election in 100 years has a government with a working majority been replaced by a government with a working majority from another party... because it’s nigh on impossible for voters to ‘kick the rascals out.’ Under First Past the Post majority governments appear to stay in power until they die in office, until their majorities are worn down, or they’re replaced by minority or coalition governments.
Research by the Electoral Reform Society claims that only once, in 1970, has FPTP enabled the elctorate to "kick the rascals out" and replace them with single party government with a workable majority. This suggests that governments elected under FPTP are not kicked out or brought in, but rather wither and collapse before they can be defeated.