Why a PR voting system is the best bet for Britain | Letters
Tom Walker responds to a letter that said first past the post is the lesser of two evils for voters. Plus letters from Susanna Dammann and Steve SmartIt is common...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Tom Walker responds to a letter that said first past the post is the lesser of two evils for voters. Plus letters from Susanna Dammann and Steve Smart It is common in the argument against proportional representation (PR) to reach for Italy as a cautionary tale, as Gian Lorenzo Spisso does in his letter ( A proportional representation voting system could spell disaster for Labour, 30 September ). The irony is that Italy does not actually have a proportional system: it has a mixed system. If we want to assess PR, we should look at countries that actually use it – Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark – hardly synonymous with political instability. Also, small parties or weak local representation are not unique to PR. The tiny Democratic Unionist party held the balance of power at Westminster less than a decade ago under first past the post (FPTP), while the Scottish National party and Plaid Cymru wield influence disproportionate to their UK-wide vote because their support is geographically concentrated. Continue reading...