The General Election saw Labour triumph securing a huge 174-vote majority. A real mandate for change.

More surprising to many will be that the victory was achieved with 600,000 fewer votes than Labour got in 2019. Then, it secured 10.2 million of the votes (32.1%), against 9.7 million (33.8%) this time.

So, Labour increased its vote by 1.7%, with fewer votes, but more than doubled the number of seats. The low turnout this time (60%) also contributed to the result.

Whilst it is great to have swept away the corrupt, moribund Tory administration, the challenge now is to restore trust in politics and how our politicians are elected.

The low turnout, especially amongst the young, shows disillusionment and disconnect. Many do not feel represented.

The past 14 years have severely damaged the reputation of politics and politicians.

The standing was not high before, with the expenses scandal, giving an impression of snouts in the trough. This was amplified manyfold by the handling of contracts around the Covid pandemic. A real case of contracts for the boys and girls close to the Tory Party. 

Cllr Paul Donovan says the past 14 years have damaged the reputation of politicsCllr Paul Donovan says the past 14 years have damaged the reputation of politics

Trust took another blow with the Downing Street parties' revelations, exposing an entitled bunch of people at the heart of government ruling based on do as I say, not as I do.

The Liz Truss period in power further stretched the credibility gap, with people in power clearly promoted way above their capability.

So it goes on.

The standing of politics and politicians is at an all-time low. Yet, most politicians do come into politics for the right reasons, namely to serve the community. 

The majority on all sides suffer due to the behaviour of the few. That said, there does need to be change. The implementation of the pledge in the Labour Party manifesto to establish an Integrity and Ethics Commission would be welcome. Also, the Nolan principles on public life could be made statutory.

Then there is the electoral system itself, with the anomalies that throws up. Some form of Proportional Representation is long overdue. This would ensure that everybody's vote counted. 

The lowering of the voting age to 16 would also be welcome.

Unfortunately, over recent years, things seem to have moved backwards electorally, with the first past the post system being reintroduced in contests like the Mayoral elections. Also, the introduction of ID requirements based on fraud, which has never been proven to exist.

We need to re-engage people, not make things more difficult.

So, there is much to be done to restore our democracy. And that work needs to start now.

  • Paul Donovan is Labour councillor for Wanstead Village ward, Redbridge Council and a blogger (paulfdonovan.blogspot.com).