XPost: soc.culture.scottish, soc.culture.irish, uk.media.tv.misc   
   From: allan@EASYNET.CO.UK   
      
   "Paul Hyett"  wrote in message   
   news:yshmtRBanUcEFwvh@blueyonder.co.uk...   
   > In uk.media.tv.misc on Sun, 21 May 2006, allan connochie wrote :   
   > >   
   > >Of course you are right it doesn't work like that and cabinet places   
   > >shouldn't be given out by post-code. However there are 356 Labour MPs of   
   > >which about 41 represent Scottish constituences. Hence statistically once   
   > >rounded up you'd expect around 12% of the cabinet posts to be filled by   
   > >members from Scottish Labour constituencies. So of the 26 main cabinet   
   > >places youd expect there to be either 3 or 4 from Scottish consituencies.   
   > >There are in fact  5 hence there is only one more cabinet member from a   
   > >Scottish constituency than statistics suggest there should be.  Hardly   
   major   
   > >over-representation.   
   >   
   > Opponents of the gov't us a different calculation though.   
   >   
   > They point out that since Scotland's population is roughly 1/12 of the   
   > UK's (5m/60m), the 'correct' number would be more like 2 places out of   
   > 26. Personally, it makes no difference to me what part of the UK they're   
   > from - of far greater concern is how they are running the country.   
      
   Well they do use that formula but it doesn't make any kind of sense. The   
   Cabinet is basically picked (I know there are sometimes exceptions) from the   
   MPs amongst the largest party. So the only formula that makes any kind of   
   sense would be the percentage of Scottish constituency MPs within that party   
   to the percentage within Cabinet. You are right though the percentage thing   
   is silly ayway when we're talking about such small numbers plus it can throw   
   up real discrepencies. For instance everyone thinks of Scottish Labour MPs   
   doing well out of it. However the figures show that in 2001 only 9% of   
   Scottish Labour MPs were in the Cabinet. That has now gone up to 12%.   
   However in the last Tory administration 27% of Scottish Tory MPs were in the   
   Cabinet. Stats and lies etc.   
      
   Plus I agree with you it's performance that counts. I find it a bit worrying   
   that John Reid can obtain any Cabinet post far more than what part of the UK   
   his constituency in..........plus of course the fact that there are   
   unelected members of the Cabinet.   
      
      
   Allan   
      
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