On Saturday 5 July, supporters of Make Votes Matter (MVM), the cross-party campaign for proportional representation, braved the rain to hold a ‘Rally for Real Democracy’ in Manchester’s St Peter’s Square in front of the Central Library, alongside demonstrations being held by the Sudanese resistance committee, disability Pride and Ukrainians against the Russian invasion of their country.
The rally attracted supporters from all over the country
Attracting electoral reform supporters from across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Merseyside – and even as far afield as London, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire – MVM’s Manchester rally was one of several events taking place across the country as part of its Democracy Action Weekend.
These events mark the one-year anniversary of the current Labour government, and to highlight the fact that the 2024 general election was the most disproportionate in British history. The Democracy Action Weekend will culminate in a London rally on Sunday 6 July.
Manchester has a long history in reforming democracy
The Manchester ‘Rally for Real Democracy’ also honoured the city’s role in reforming British democracy. The rally was held on the site of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, the violent putting down by Yeomen cavalry of a 60,000-strong rally calling for the abolition of rotten boroughs. Under this system, urban centres like those of modern Greater Manchester received no MPs while Old Sarum (the ruins of a cathedral and castle in Wiltshire) and Dunwich (a Suffolk town mostly swallowed by the sea in 1670) each received two to represent one voter.
The city is also the birthplace of the Women’s Social and Political Union, better known as the suffragettes, founded in 1903 to ensure the right of women to vote through ‘deeds, not words’. St Peter’s Square is the site of Rise Up, Women, a statue of the WSPU’s founder Emmeline Pankhurst.
Calls for a change of the voting system
The rally featured speeches from Mancunian political leaders calling for a fairer voting system and a more representative politics. Chris Northwood, councillor for Ancoats and Beswick and deputy leader of the Manchester City Council Liberal Democrats, said that “politics is not a football match”.
She went on to say:
Is it unfair someone can win an election without getting the majority of the vote? Yes, it is. Is it unfair that if you want to vote for a party that isn’t the big two in the area you live most likely won’t be changing the result? Yes, it is.
Chris Ogden, the co-chair of the Greens’ Manchester local party also spoke at the rally. Chris said:
The political landscape we are living in is becoming more fragmented than ever … we now have five parties trying to squeeze themselves into a two-party system. That led to last year’s general election being the most disproportionate we have ever had in British history. Labour won a ‘landslide’ on 34% of the vote.
First Past the Post undermines scrutiny
Hannah Spencer, councillor for Hale and leader of the Trafford Council Greens, spoke of her experiences of First Past the Post as her party’s recent candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester. She said that because of FPTP, the scrutinising role of the Combined Authority was undermined by the overwhelming presence of indirectly elected Labour members – nine out of ten – and a proposal for a proportionally elected, devolved Manchester Assembly was vetoed.
Messages of endorsement from parliamentarians were read out at the rally. Lisa Smart, MP for Hazel Grove, said that “as the vice chair of the APPG [All-Party Parliamentary Group] on Fair Elections, I am clear on the need to fight to change unfair elections, dark money in our politics and the near constant presence of mis- and disinformation”. She went on to say that “the support shown by everyone turning out for today’s rally inspires us to keep fighting for a fairer democracy in the UK”.
Musical performances and a Disability Pride demonstration
The rally also saw a live performance by the band Mandatory Fun, featuring musicians Harrison Jones and Arthur Road Knight and vocals by Becki Carney and Abbie Jones. They performed a pro-PR rendition of I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys.
MVM were not alone in St Peter’s Square on Saturday. The precinct also played host to a street stall of Manchester’s Sudanese Resistance Committee, a Disability Pride demonstration against recent legislation cutting PIP and Universal Credit, and a protest by members of Manchester’s Ukrainian community against Russia’s ongoing invasion of their homeland. These exercises of the rights of assembly and peaceful protest demonstrated Manchester’s continuing democratising tradition.
Editor’s note: Mayoral election voting system change
In recent email correspondence with Make Votes Matter they informed NWBylines that the Mayoral Election voting system is to change from First Past The Post, and Supplementary Vote is being reinstated. MVM stated they are happy with this decision, and feel that the Government is starting to listen to them.
All pictures taken by and courtesy of Nigel Hillier.
Make Votes Matter frequently organises events throughout the UK and is welcome to new and dedicated members. If you are interested in joining, you can get in touch by emailing us at local@makevotesmatter.org.uk to find your local group.
