Marsdens' vote worth- too much

Blackpool has an MP who shows he has no concept of democracy. If he did, he would repy to his constituents including those who do not vote for him.

Amplify’d from www.newstatesman.com

How much is your Labour leadership vote worth?

Ed Miliband (R) speaks watched by brother David Miliband during the Yorkshire and Humber Labour hustings, in Leeds, on July 25, 2010. Photograph: Getty Images.

The Labour leadership election caught fire last night with Jon Cruddas's endorsement of David Miliband (exclusively revealed by the NS) and the emergence of clear red water between the Miliband brothers.

But one subject to which commentators have devoted insufficient attention is Labour's electoral system. As most of you will know, the big decision lies with an electoral college split equally three ways between the 271 MPs and MEPs, all party members (around 165,000) and members of affiliated trade unions and socialist societies (an eclectic bunch that includes the Fabian Society, the Jewish Labour movement, the Christian Socialist Movement, Scientists for Labour and the Labour Animal Welfare Society; you can see a full list here). Read more at www.newstatesman.com

• The vote of one MP is worth the votes of nearly 608 party members and 12,915 affiliated members.
• The vote of one party member is worth the votes of 21 affiliated members.
• An MP's vote is worth 0.12 per cent of the total electorate, a party member's vote is worth 0.0002 per cent and an affiliated member's vote is worth 0.00000943 per cent.