Euro elections PR maths

[dancecaller]

How do they work out how to split the seats between the parties? The government website is vague http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizens andrights/UKgovernment/Politicalpartiesandelec tions/DG_073242 In the NW we have 8 seats and the Tories had 25.6% of the vote. That looks like 2 seats to me. But they got 3.
Labour 20.4% 2 seats. Ukip & Lib Dems 15.8% & 14.3% 1 seat each.

Now if I was calculating it I'd say each seat need 12.5% of the vote

Conservative 2Seats (remaining votes 0 .6%)

Lab 1 Seats (remaining votes 7.9%) UKIP 1 seat (remaining votes 3.3%)

Lib Dem 1 seat (remaining votes 1.8%)

BNP (remaining votes 8%)

Green (remaining votes 7.7%)

The other parties got less than 2.5% each.

So another seat for Labour, one for BNP,(as did happen), but one for the Greens not a third for Tories.

[Androcles]

Here you go Dancecaller:

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_52 903.html

[dancecaller]

Thanks. I think I see.
It all swings a very small percentages. Especially that last seat, it could have gone to anyone really.

[kestrelg]

In my area Yorkshire and Humberside a BNP candidate was elected by polling 10 per cent of the vote.
That was 10 per cent of the 23 per cent of the electorate that voted. By my reckoning that's 2.30 per cent of the electorate.
Whoever decided that system created a mockery and my comments are applicable to anyone getting elected by that number of votes and not just BNP.

[Ankou]

this site might also help.

http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/european-el ections/voting-system

[New Judge]

It is not simply a matter of the �idiots who stay at home�, lucy.

If you assume that those who did not vote would vote in the same proportions as those who did, (and there is nothing to say they would, and nothing to say they would not) there would still be ridiculous results.

The system used in the European Parliamentary elections is ludicrous (as are most PR systems). They usually mean that everybody gets a little bit of what hardly anybody wants. They provide for weak government (as clearly evidenced by countries such as Italy) and often �hung� parliaments.

It is fortunate that the European MEPs hold so little sway. Most of the decisions are taken by unelected Commissioners or the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament is simply a rubber stamping chamber for those decisions to give an appearance that some form of democracy is in action.

And the UK�s House of Commons is heading the same way (for �Commissioners or the Council of Ministers� substitute �Prime Minister and Cabinet�).