This government is a complete shambles

[Heisenberg]

Here's something for the Labour voting members of this board to ponder.
The electoral commission reports on the need to change constituency boundaries in order to adjust for the movement of population and the rise in it in certain areas, in order to keep the numbers in constituencies relatively similar. They normally report about once every 5 years and the government then raises a bill to adjust the constituencies.
This has not actually happened for nearly 20 years. firstly the Labour party refused to bring a bill to parliament because they were afraid the new constituencies would adversely affect them in a general election. Then in the coalition government of 2010 the Lib Dems agreed to support a bill to change boundaries in exchange for the Government having a referendum on proportional representation.
The government had the referendum but the Lib Dems cause was defeated. The party then reneged on their agreement (Never trust a Lib Dem) and refused to support the bill, which then had to be withheld.
Now, with an absolute majority in the Commons the Government is bringing forward a new bill to alter the system but effectively to enact the changes in the latest boundary review.
It is estimated by the people who count these things that the net effect of the changes would give the Conservative Party a further 40+ seats in any future election. (It must be borne in mind the boundaries commission is a non-political institution)
Taking into account their current majority, the fact that they are unlikely to recapture their erstwhile Scottish 'safe' seat any time soon and the new 40+, it would seem that the chances of Labour forming a government any time in the future is receding even more.

What are peoples' views on that?

That gerrymandering should be illegal.

[lisvaneblue]

That gerrymandering should be illegal.

No, Its the current out of date situation that should be made illegal

[Vindec]

That gerrymandering should be illegal.

Naive response. I bet Labour wouldn't reorganise the boundaries in similar circumstances LOL.

[xsnaggle]

That gerrymandering should be illegal.

It's not gerrymandering. It had happened for a long time under all governments. as I said the organisation is apolitical, and takes no regard to voting intentions (how could they from a map) merely changes in demographics, and things like younger people coming into the voting age. It doesn't always favour the Conservative party, or sometimes any party, it is just a function of democracy to ensure all constituencies are as the same numerically as can be achieved. It just happens to favour them now as it did back on 2003 or whenever when the ruling Labour Government kicked it into the long grass for exactly the same reason.
Clearly if a Labour Government were in power it would be kicked into the long grass again and equally if the changes tended to show a higher chance of Labour winning seats then a Conservative Government would do the same. That's just the luck of timing I suppose.