The election was called for 4 July and since then a lot of things have moved quickly. We at Compass York and North Yorkshire recognise that any genuinely transformational change to UK politics needs a new democratic system, not just a change of government. We’ve joined the national Compass campaign for progressive voters to make democracy a first order issue so this could become the general election to change all future elections. If that is achieved it would represent a significant step towards maximising the number of pro-PR MPs from all progressive parties who are elected to the House of Commons.
York Outer, Harrogate and Knaresborough and Wetherby and Easingwold
We are therefore endorsing Luke Charters, the Labour candidate in York Outer, and Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough. This is because we have assessed that they are the best placed challengers to the Conservatives in both of those constituencies and we also know that they support Compass’s strategic aim to introduce a proportional voting system for House of Commons elections.
We also recognise the fundamental unfairness of our dysfunctional first past the post (FPTP) voting system that clearly denies Green voters, in particular, their fair share of representation. This is because of the need for them to always to lend their votes to get the Tories out, as will be the case in Harrogate and Knaresborough and York Outer.
For this reason, we are endorsing Arnold Warneken, the Green Party candidate standing in the new seat of Wetherby and Easingwold. He is a champion for PR and is currently a sitting Green Party North Yorkshire councillor who won his seat in 2022 with 69% of the vote. Analysis of previous local election results shows the Greens either won or for the most part came an excellent second in the wards that now make up the new Wetherby and Easingwold constituency.
Democratic change
Labour has identified the Wetherby and Easingwold constituency as a non-battleground seat so that their resources can be focused on York Outer. The Liberal Democrats appear to be focusing all their resources in Yorkshire on Harrogate and Knaresborough and Sheffield Hallam.
Our conversations with Labour and Liberal Democrat voters in Wetherby and Easingwold will be stressing Warneken’s qualities and expressing our commitment to political pluralism and fair representation. In the interests of building reciprocity and solidarity among progressives, we want to encourage supporters of other progressive parties to lend their votes to the Green Party candidate in Wetherby and Easingwold. In doing so, we hope this will go some way to recognise the contribution that Green votes will hopefully make to historic Liberal Democrat and Labour wins in Harrogate and Knaresborough and York Outer.
Dysfunctional electoral system
We recognise such efforts are only necessary because of the dysfunction of our FPTP electoral system and that winning proportional representation is the critical first step in creating a more equal and fair society.
Changing the government at the next election isn’t going to be enough. We need to continue the work of Win as One and work collaboratively with other progressives to change the political system for good.
Join us at www.winasone.org.uk and help us change the government, then work to change the system.
Ready more on the general election here, and check out our free Yorkshire Bylines Election Gazette:
