Why do people keep saying Brown was not elected...

[R1Geezer]

It just demonstrates how ignorant of our system they are and they probably shouldn't have the vote if they don't understand the system. Here's the news, we do not elect the leader of our country, we elect MP's which ever party ends up with the most forms a governement. The leader of that party is the PM, the leader is elected by the party. Geddit?? Oh and I'm a Tory by the way.

[New Judge]

You’re absolutely right, Geezer. This is an unfortunate consequence of the Party system (which has all but destroyed democracy in the UK).

Few people vote for an MP at a General Election. They vote for a party (along with its advertised leader for their PM). As a result they realistically have a choice of just two “packages” of people and policies which are almost identical. Neither of them probably suits them entirely, if at all and many people vote for the party they dislike the least. General Elections in the UK are determined in a handful of marginal seats with the electorate voting not for a person to represent them at Westminster, but for the party they think will cause them least damage.

Party politics in 21st century UK is a pernicious assault on democracy and needs urgent reformation. Such reform should include the facility for the electorate to choose the nation’s leader. Currently he or she is chosen by a small number of cronies who, themselves, vote for the leader they dislike least and who will do their careers the least damage.