Letter: Voting system needs change

Tuesday 12th January 2010, 6:16AM GMT.

SCOTLAND Election 165407Letter: I could not agree more with the recent letters from Andrew Whyte and David Murray concerning voter reform and the danger to our democratic processes posed by one or two immensely rich people.

The “First Past the Post system” that we currently have is well over a hundred years past a review. You only have to look at the local situation to see how perverse it is.

Your letters page is full of correspondence from people who will vote UKIP, Green and possibly BNP and for other “fringe parties”.
Will they elect an MP locally? Not a chance.

In the current situation, despite racking up hundreds of thousands of votes across the country, they will not have a single MP to represent them.

The Ludlow Constituency is also a good example of the stupidity that exists today.

Mr Dunne received a fraction under 21,000 votes.

About 25,500 voted for the Liberal Democrats, Labour and other parties and did not want Mr Dunne to be their MP but he trots off to Westminster and says that he represents the views of the constituency when quite plainly he does not.

The sooner we have preferential voting similar to that in Ireland, Scotland or Wales, the better.

It would certainly curtail the drift back to the rotten borough situation referred to in Mr Murray’s letter.

Colin Taylor
Alveley



Free e-Supplements

TWITTER

Shropshire Star on Twitter Shropshire Star on Twitter

Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.

Lifestyle

Interactive Dining Out map Interactive Dining Out map

Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.

LIVE traffic updates

Road, rail and airport - latest Road, rail and airport - latest

Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.

OUR NEW APP

Get the new Shropshire Star app Get the new Shropshire Star app

Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.