SEATS AND VOTES
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOU.] Sna—The adjectives " Devastating," " Overwhelming," ascribed by the Government Press to their triumph at the polls is scarcely justified by an even perfunctory analysis of the figures, considered in relation to the results. Look here : • Conservative total vote • • .. 11,586,070 (Sat., Nov. 1Cth)
Socialist total vote .. .. 10,035,130 Pp
1,551,040 (0n. plurality At the time I took out these figures there were 16 results undeclared ; so to level up the total fairly, and taking into account the 26 uncontested seats' total vote, I added to the Conservative majority vote an odd 449,000 to bring their total to 2,000,000 plurality over the Socialist. They also benefit as I have taken no notice of the Liberal votes in the comparison of results.
The total number of votes east I have reckoned as 22,000,000. Dividing this by the number of seats, (115, gives, disregarding fractions, an average of 35,609 votes per seat. Dividing the total Conservative vote majority by this figure (seat-vote average) and we get the actual number of seats to which they are entitled mathematically, i.e., 44 seats. And they have, therefore, an " unearned increment " of some 206 seats to their credit. Surely an election travesty of the first order !—Yours faithfully, EDGAR H. S. BARNES-AUSTIN.
36 Prospect Road, Tunbridge Welts.
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