Make out a case in favour of retaining the ‘first past the post’ electoral system used in the UK
(25 Marks)

First past the post is also known as FPTP or a single member plurality system. It is used in the elections of the House of Commons, the Westminster Elections, the idea is that you simply put an X in the box next to the candidate that you support. The candidate that gets the most votes, regardless of percentage, gets a seat in the House of Commons, after all the constituents have elected their MP the party with the most seats form the government. Some argue that FPTP is unfair and inefficient to suit modern government however, in this essay I will be explaining and demonstrating as to why FPTP is efficient and should remain the UK’s electoral system. The reasons the UK should keep FPTP are; It allows voters to choose a between candidates instead of parties, it enables a strong and stable government, it determines a clear link between MP’s and their constituents, it is easier to understand, we all get 1 vote at the polling station and it eliminates the possibility of the extremist majority in the UK.

Firstly, First Past the Post allows the electorate to choose between candidates instead of the parties. this enables each individual voter to establish and assess the performance, advantages and disadvantages of the individual candidates instead of just picking a party that will rule like in some other voting systems. Secondly, FPTP enables a strong and stable government it does this by exaggerating the amount of support the leading party has, this is often known as winners bonus. It leads to a large lead in seats which strengthens the legitimacy of the government. This provides a single-party majority government meaning the leading party in government needs little support to pass important legislations. It is also guaranteed that a government will be in