Tom Clark’s analysis of our “ungovernable country” expertly diagnoses the symptoms of our political malaise but entirely bypasses the fundamental arithmetic of modern British democracy (The ungovernable country? Why Britain keeps losing prime ministers, 17 May).
Democracy is, by definition, government by the consent of the governed. Yet our electoral system routinely mistakes a gaming of the system for a genuine mandate. The current Labour government entered office with a landslide of seats built upon a mere 20% of the total eligible electorate. To mistake the silence of the 40% who chose not to vote for passive compliance is a fatal error. Previous governments and prime ministers were not very different.
Thanks to social media and decentralised public spaces, those who abstain from the ballot box do not abstain from politics; they now cast their vote on the competence of the state on a daily basis. The country will continue to chew through leaders and remain “ungovernable” until we adopt a system where the government actually holds the democratic consent required to govern.
Dr Lalith Chandrakantha
Northampton
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