Graphs at a glance: With yet more reports of MPs misbehaving and enriching themselves, we look to see who actually selects these people.

The fact is a man or woman does not get into parliament by winning their seat in a General Election nor in a Bye Election. They don’t have to persuade the majority of all voters in their constituency that they are fit and proper to be their ward’s representative. 

Prospective MPs merely have to persuade their local constituency party activists – comprising about one in a hundred of the electorate. It is by persuading these local activists, allegedly regarded by some top politicians as ‘swivel-eyed loons’, that our MPs actually get themselves into Parliament.

A report by the UK Parliament in December 2012 stated that:

“In 2010, only 1.0% of the electorate was a member of one of the three main political parties. Labour had approximately 193,000 members, the Conservatives 130,000 to 150,000 and the Liberal Democrats 49,000.”

According to the Electoral Reform Society ordinary voters in most constituencies tend to stick with the same party. Which means the loony party activists in those constituencies have the parliamentary seat in their gift. :

"The average constituency last changed hands between parties in the 1960s, with some super safe seats having remained firmly in one-party control since the time of Queen Victoria. "
Electoral Reform Society

http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/safe-seats/#1830-2010

The Electoral Reform Society's map of 'safe seats' below shows that most of the UK is in the gift of the eye-swiveling loons:

Put the same map against a map showing unemployment rates and you can see with the loons raving about one thing in blue areas (cutting help to the poor and unemployed) and another thing in the red areas (increasing help for the poor and unemployed) we end up with a large proportion of cynical lunatics as our MPs in Westminster.