Maps that tell a story
The UK general elections this week are well covered elsewhere, and its results are complex. But while BBC News lays out all the details in a potent mix of maps, charts and data, I find the map above tells it best: it shows how votes swung from last year’s Referendum in its simplest form, go tho the link to view it interactively with all the local details.
I’m a fan of hexagonal bin maps, made famous at the previous UK general elections:
Also the BBC had a hexagon floor map below, inspired by Kenneth Field who also explained its technical details on an Esri Blog. I used it to create a hexagon map on last year’s GeoHipster calendar that’s also the header of my professional channel.
This year however was crucial in that two elections followed each other at such close range and were genetically related, that the banner image comparing maps was a natural. In a nutshell (details available online summarised at bottom) it’s the swing votes that carried the day: The change in the voting patterns overwhelmed the traditional party politic votes.
This in turn means that the details of the data, not only in their geography but also in their age and party distribution shown below, cannot be overstated.
#GE2017 in six steps:
- the UK decision to leave the EU was close at 48% voting to remain against 52% to leave
- the incumbent Prime Minister Brian Cameron resigned because he supported the losing side, and
- a party vote installs Theresa May, as the British system makes the head of the largest party the Prime Minister
- the beginning of the process to exit the EU created much turmoil within the country’s electorate & all political parties
- a snap election was called by Theresa May in an effort to give her a clear mandate to enter negotiations to leave the EU
- the opposition experienced a ground swell of popular discontent that robbed the government of its majority
