Is it time to scrap first-past-the-post?

ANDREW NEIL warns proportional representation could ‘keep the Left in power for ever’ (Mail). Our first-past-the-post system is unrepresentative when a party needs well below half of the vote to form a government with an 80-seat majority. How can the majority of votes cast not contribute to the outcome? The various PR systems lead to messy coalitions and a reduction in representative democracy. Sweden has been held hostage by tiny parties for years.

What if there were an electoral system that was far more representative, maintained majority government so coalitions were not needed, made tactical voting obsolete, removed the red/ blue walls and the North/South divide and mitigated the excess power of governments?

DAVID ALLEN, Tonbridge, Kent. A hUNG Parliament after the next General Election could help to pave the way for a change to proportional representation. Pr would make coalitions rather than single-party governments more likely, but this does not necessarily mean we would be governed by the same combination of parties or that coalitions would always be led by Labour rather than the Tories. Most European countries use a form of Pr and have seen a mixture of centreLeft and centre-right coalitions. however, it would mean the Tories and Labour would no longer be forced to be everything to everyone. They would not have to appeal to a particular section of the electorate at the expense of policies that appealed to others whose votes they needed. instead they could reach out to a broader range of people countrywide, not just in key marginal seats. Tory voters in Manchester and Labour supporters in surrey could opt for their preferred party knowing their votes would count instead of voting tactically for the Lib dems to try to stop their least favourite party from winning.