Why General Elections must utilise some form of Proportional Representation - Yorkshire Post Letters

Readers, including myself, appreciate your Comment of March 3: 'Tories must show signs of vision and leadership'. I would however like to reflect on your last paragraph: 'At the end of the day, there is only one poll that counts: a General Election…'

The way First Past the Post (FPTP) works in our country means that rarely does the government of the day secure a majority of the votes cast, power being effectively handed to a party that does not have popular support. The most seats at Westminster, but not the most votes of the electorate.

Somewhat perversely, parties strive disproportionally for 'power', whilst ideally the well-being of the nation should be their prime objective. Never has this been clearer than in the last four years of the present government. Having practically a two-party system heightens the risk of extremists and outsiders exerting undue influence on the main parties.

In my view, General Elections must utilise some form of Proportional Representation (PR) in order that more shades of political ideals are catered for and so people do not feel, as many do now, that their vote is wasted. The corollary to that, of course, is that many people feel it is simply not worth voting.

Supporters of FPTP protest that PR results in 'interminable coalitions', though the experience of coalitions in this country has always been a consequence of FPTP elections.

The countries of Western Europe use PR and are comfortable with power sharing coalitions. The mosaic of the leading parties in power may change after elections but tends not to be so drastic. This in itself fosters better continuity of policies, which has to be compared with the short-termism of UK politics under which we suffer.

As all supporters of PR will remind us, the only other European country using FPTP is Belarus: a virtual dictatorship and close ally of Putin.