Why isn't 319 seats enough?

[tonee]

Hi
Please correct me if I am wrong.There are 650 MPs in parliament,thus 326 needed for a majority.Sinn Fein have vowed never to sit in parliament,so that number reduces to 319 for a majority(they won 7 seats).The tories got 318 seats,so surely they are only 1 seat away from a majority.

[tonee]

Sorry Dominic,can you move it to the politics section please

[Dominic]

Sure, it is a good question though.

[Jimgward]

650-7 = 643

A majority would be 322.... the 7 redundant seats works both sides....

[DavidatLWH]

The speaker doesn't vote, BTW.

[William Morris]

Also, some Tories may vote against the Government or some LibDems may vote with the Government.

It is never just a straight "us and them" vote.

If that were the case then the Tories would only ever get 5% of the popular vote because they only ever represent 5% of the people (the rich).

[josef k]

Hi
Please correct me if I am wrong.There are 650 MPs in parliament,thus 326 needed for a majority.Sinn Fein have vowed never to sit in parliament,so that number reduces to 319 for a majority(they won 7 seats).The tories got 318 seats,so surely they are only 1 seat away from a majority.

Of course you are correct, and as said above, the speaker is a member but doesn't vote, so that reduces a majority to 318 which is exactly what the Conservatives got. However, members do miss votes due to illness, being out of the country etc, which effectively means there is a requirement for more than 318 as a safety net. If you look at the parties who are now represented in parliament, only the DUP have sufficient in common to be able to form an understanding with the Conservatives.

As an aside, the first woman voted into parliament was a Sinn Fein candidate (Constance Markievicz in 1918), however, she didn't take her seat in line with Sinn Fein's abstentionist policy. So their absence from Westminster has been for nearly 100 years.

[PeteandSylvi]

If that were the case then the Tories would only ever get 5% of the popular vote because they only ever represent 5% of the people (the rich).

Could you explain that to this pauper who has voted Conservative in the past?

Pete

[William Morris]

Pete, could it be that yhe reason you are a pauper is because you have voted tory?

[PeteandSylvi]

Pete, could it be that yhe reason you are a pauper is because you have voted tory?

Unlikely. Mrs Thatcher gave us so much opportunity particularly those in council homes whose net worth has been greatly boosted.

But please don't let my light-hearted description of me as a pauper overshadow your answer to the original question.

Pete