Time for a change to a better, fairer system

As Prime Minister Johnson closed the Tory Party conference with a series of so-called jokes he offered no real solutions to the many problems facing our country, including the critical shortage of staff in care homes in Berkshire (Slough Express, October 1).

But Slough Labour Party voted to retain the system that allows the Prime Minister to have so much power, but take no responsibility for dealing with the series of crises. This needs explaining.

First, why does Prime Minister Johnson think joking is the answer to the repeated supplychain crises hitting petrol stations, supermarkets, farmers and many others?

At the same time as he saw fit to joke, millions of citizens and their children are facing cuts of £20 a week in their Universal Credit, and most public sector workers like the police, care staff and teachers will have a zero pay rise.

Everyone is facing massive increases in energy prices which are already in the pipelines, and most of us will face increases in council tax and also national insurance, or, for some older people, income tax.

Interestingly, the majority of the British people did not vote for Mr Johnson to have all this irresponsible power.

He only gained a majority because the UK uses an unfair electoral system under which he gained over 56 per cent of the seats in Parliament but less than 44 per cent of the votes.

Supporters of this system claim it gives us, so called, ‘strong one-party Government’.

The one-party Johnson Government is showing no strength in dealing with the many crises.

This national picture is tragically mirrored here in Slough. The same voting system has led to arrogant one-party rule of Slough Council by Slough Labour party who have created such a financial crisis that councillors recently had to vote to ‘stop funding many services.’

Despite all this, at the recent Labour conference Slough Labour Party sided with Keir Starmer and voted to reject calls to introduce Fair Votes in the UK.

Under proportional representation all voters would be treated equally, and each party would receive a share of seats in parliament that much more accurately reflects the proportion of votes they receive.

Such a system usually means one party does not have complete power, but instead parties have to work together to find solutions to problems.

It seems Slough Labour Party agree with

Prime Minister Johnson in wanting to put their own respective party interests ahead of the good of the country.

They might both find the people have decided it’s time for a change to a better, fairer system.

MATTHEW TAYLOR Chair, Slough Lib Dems