THE REPORT OF THE HANSARD SOCIETY COMMISSION - ON ELECTORAL REFORM - June 1976

Oct 13, 2026

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The Hansard Society Commission report on electoral reform was commissioned to provide an objective and comprehensive study of the arguments for and against electoral reform and its potential impact on the British political system. It outlines the Democratic Tradition, surveys the present electoral system including election methods, franchise, constituencies and candidate selection, and analyzes election results. The report then evaluates principal arguments for and against reform, addressing stability, fairness, minority protection, and implications for devolved bodies and the European Parliament.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages76

Reading Time3 h 12 min

AccessFree to download

Preface

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 - The Democratic Tradition

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Summary of Principal Arguments for and against Electoral Reform

The Case for the Present System

The Case against the Present System

THE REPORTOFTHE HANSARD SOCIETYCOMMISSIONON ELECTORAL REFORMJune 1976 0DH丁N Q WESTMINSTER CITY LIBRARIES CENTRAL REFERENCE LIBRARY ST.MARTIN'S STREET LONDON WC2H 7HP Ⅲ (PS 0200) 30117010686232 # THE REPORTOF THE HANSARD SOCIETYCOMMISSION ONELECTORAL REFORM June 1976 100 soc1ETy Fore RLIAnSNTA ooeRwn # THE REPORTOF THE HANSARD SOCIETYCOMMISSIONONELECTORAL REFORM June 1976 196LNWCС(с180.*乙018/b+L8650Sx # PREFACE The Hansard Society for Parliamentary Government exists topromote research,discussion and greater public understanding ofall issues affecting parliamentary government.The Society noticedthat recently there has been an increasing interest in electoral reformbut that there was a need for an objective and comprehensive studyof the case for and against electoral reform and of its possible impacton the British political system. To this end the Hansard Society welcomed the creation of aCommission under Lord Blake and was pleased to be associatedwith it and happy to provide administrative facilities.The HansardSociety appreciated the calibre and the work of the Commissionwhich,apart from Lord Blake,was composed of Sir Jack Callard,Professor Ralf Dahrendorf,Mr Miles Hudson,Mr Gwyn Morgan,Lord O'Neill of the Maine,Baroness Seear,The Rt Hon RichardWood MP,Mr Peter Balfour and Professor J.D.B.Mitchell.MrDavid Warburton of the General and Municipal Workers'Unionoriginally agreed to serve,as did Mr Paul Rose MP,but both hadto withdraw owing to pressure of other demands which made itimpossible for them to attend meetings of the Commission.TheHansard Society would like to congratulate Lord Blake and all hiscolleagues for the tremendous amount of work they have put inpreparing the report. The Council of the Hansard Society has seen the report beforepublication and,since the Society exists simply to promote researchand discussion,it does not either accept or reject the findings of theCommission which it has sponsored but merely commends thework to the public as a worthwhile contribution to the subject.Thisis eminently so in the case of this report and the Society hopes itwill receive the widespread attention it deserves. Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2021 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundationhttps://archive.org/details/reportofhansards0000unse CONTENTS IntroductionxiiiPARAGRAPH PAGEChapter 1 The Democratic Tradition1Representative government1,51Parliamentary democracy2-3Political parties41Minority representation62Acceptability of electoral system72Perceptions of the electorate82Conclusions10-113General principles124Chapter 2 工 The Present System5Plurality system:frequency of elections135Composition and powers of government145The franchise15-175Method of election:history and evolution18-206Constituencies:The Boundary Commissions'termsof reference216Relationship of MPs to electors227Differences in constituency electorates237Eligibility of candidates247Selection of candidates25-277Election Results:AnalysisThe wasted vote298Relationship of seats to votes30-318Single-party government328Anomalies and distortions33-349Support for two major parties359Election Results:CommentsFairness of system3610 PARAGRAPH PAGETrend away from two-party system3710Polarisation:reversals of policy38-3910Possibilities of minority rule4011Omnipotence of Parliament4111 Measurement of present system against generalprinciples4212 Table 1 General Election Results 1918-197412 Table 2 The Electoral Support for Major and Lesser Parties 1945-197416Chapter 3 Some Changes within the Present System17Equality of representation4417Size of constituency electorates4517Selection of candidates:46-4717Need for legislation48-4918Sitting Members of Parliament5018Problems of timing51-5218Proposed reform5319Deposit5520Chapter 4 # Summary of Principal Arguments for and againstElectoral Reform 21 # The Case for the Present System Single party government:stability and familiarity57(a) 21Unfairne

FAQs

What was the Hansard Society Commission’s purpose in studying electoral reform?

To produce an objective and comprehensive study of the case for and against electoral reform and its possible impact on the British political system.

Which aspects of the present system does the report examine?

It covers representative government and parliamentary democracy, plurality elections, the franchise, election methods and constituency boundaries, relationships between MPs and electors, and candidate eligibility and selection.

What themes appear in the principal arguments for and against electoral reform?

The report addresses stability and familiarity versus unfairness and coalition disadvantages, and it considers minority protection, electorate disaffection, and implications for devolved assemblies and the European Parliament.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by jayni