Who got good value-for-money in the general election?

Pot Head

Oh good, another coffee table.

BigAl

How much did the Unions spend ''indirectly'' to help Labour during the general election and later for RedEd?

Badger

Interesting that the Lib Dems, despite being more efficient than both the other major parties (in terms of £s per vote) are put at such a competitive disadvantage by the electoral system that each seat won cost them significantly more.

Hardly a free or fair electoral market...

Peter From Maidstone

Sorry, I don't buy this at all. It does not include any of the billions that Labour has been systematically spending to create a client base of those on benefits and immigrants. Have you included any of the millions spent producing and distributing propaganda newspapers by Labour councls? If you don't factor all of this in then the graphs are pointless.

Chris lancashire

Can you wrung things through a calculator? I thought you had to use a mangle. Or have you already mangled this?

Pete Hoskin

Chris lancashire: I wasn't being literal...

Rhoda Klapp

In my constituency, safe tory, nobody spent any money. I never saw the posters which the Spec made such a fuss of, London only probably, or were only for the media, not for actually posting up on an ad site. Is it worth knowing how much each swing seat cost?

denis cooper

Next time you'll probably have to do this on first preference votes, and you'll be surprised that UKIP got so many so cheaply once the "vote for UKIP is a wasted vote" argument had been neutralised by AV.

Verity

Chris Lancashire - first laugh of the day, my time. Thank you!

Peter from Maidstone's post is well-taken.

Baron

Peter From Maidstone has the right approach, the direct spend was just just chicken feed.

Peter From Maidstone

Verity and Baron, since the point I made was obvious, and has been mentioned by others, why would the Spectator ignore it and present the data in the way it did? Why is it trying to make a point that the Conservatives spent more per vote when manifestly they did not?

I would have expected this data presented in this way in the New Statesman?

Verity

Peter from M - This point, too, is well-taken.

Consider the source. No offence, Pete Hoskin. I enjoy your writing when it's not politically weighted.

Baron

Peter From Maidstone @ 5.24

good question, sir, in part, I reckon, it’s just what one gets with instant journalism, not much thinking, mostly hitting the keyboard producing stuff with shelf-life of hours; in part, I suspect, most journalists lean towards the left, perceive the Tories as the bad guys, hence will jump at any chance to kick them down.

an ex-tory voter

The one group who got manifestly appalling value for money at the General Election was the electorate who are being fleeced more heavily day by day. In comparison, what this or that party spent in order to obtain power is an irrelevance.