Popeth Cymru.
Everything Wales.
Slightly disappointed that the Greens seemed to run out of steam in the final week, but getting their first seats is still an achievement.
Regardless of the results, I was interested how proportional the results were under the new system:
| Party | Vote share | Seat share | Votes per seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | 35% | 45% | 10,341 |
| Reform | 29% | 35% | 10,823 |
| Labour | 11% | 9% | 15,467 |
| Con | 11% | 7% | 19,275 |
| Green | 7% | 2% | 42,304 |
| LD | 4% | 1% | 56,012 |
I think there were two factors that reduced the Green vote. Firstly the fact that the electorate and media have a two party system ingrained in them, pushing the logic that to stop x party you have to vote y. And secondly Polanski's comments on the recent stabbing in London have definitely put a lot of people off the Greens. Very bad timing and optics on his part.
It'll be interesting to see if Plaid can change the voting system again. They've promised STV in their manifesto, but I do fear this would also be confusing for the non-engaged electorate. At least it should increase support for the smaller parties on the left.
Yeah, I feel like Polanski has buoyed the greens a lot, but the downside is that he can deflate them just as easily. I didn't know Plaid were going for STV. I don't have a strong opinion on which is better, but I'm all for a more proportional system.