As the U.K. shows, PR voting doesn’t work

Re: Vote-Splitting Only Way for Opposition, Andrew Coyne, Jan. 26 As a Canadian living in the U.K., I am always amused when Andrew Coyne launches into one of his sermons about the Liberals and NDP getting together to enact electoral “reform,” i.e., moving from a system where we vote for the people who actually speak and vote in parliament to one where we vote for party lists and the actual politicians who benefit from our votes are decided by partisan in backrooms. The rationale: It’s more democratic.

Here in the U.K., the Liberals (Lib Dems) got into a coalition with the Tories and, guess what? More than two-thirds of voters rejected such a scheme in a referendum. Given the failure of provincial referenda in B.C. (60%+ against in 2005), Ontario (60%+ against in 2007) and P.E.I. (90%+ against in 2005) and the repeal of short-lived “reformed” electoral systems in Alberta, Manitoba and B.C. during the 1950s in just seems that Canadians believe that a change in this direction would be no improvement.

Surely if Mr. Coyne is really interested in democracy, he would agree that a fundamental change to our electoral system must be submitted to the voters in a plebiscite. But, given that the evidence is that we would reject it, what’s the point?

Joseph Molto, London, U.K. In all the discussion about the sins of “first-past-thepost,” it seems to have been forgotten that we have a representational government in Canada. Each elected member represents the opinion of the majority of the citizens of the riding and thereafter should bear in mind the wishes of the riding, and not just the wishes of the party whip when it is time to vote on individual bills.

If that were ever to happen again, it would be all the parliamentary reform we need.

Russel Williams, Georgeville, Que. It is ironic that the opposition accuses the Conservatives of being anti-democratic when their own plan to introduce proportional representation would concentrate power in the wrong hands. Under the present first-past-the-post system, the local riding association selects a local candidate to represent them. Under proportional representation the candidates would be chosen and ranked by the party leadership into provincial or even federal lists. Those elected would need to be loyal to the party leadership, but could safely ignore local issues.

Also, independent candidates with their independent voices would be eliminated. The price we would have to pay for the opposition’s hatred of Harper would be an oligarchy.

Ivars Kops, Burlington, Ont.

OLI SCARFF / GETTY IMAGES Prime Minister David Cameron leaves a polling station in the Methodist Central Hall in London in 2011.