Election has laid bare the failings of our voting system

From: David Collins, Scissett.

NOW that the election is over I am even more confused.

On a national basis this election particularly has shown the silliness of our system.

Conservatives get 36 per cent of total votes cast and get 331 seats. Voters per seat 34,200.

Labour get 30.4 per cent of total votes cast and get 232 seats. Voters per seat 40,290.

SNP get 4.7 per cent of the total votes cast and get 56 seats. Voters per seat 25,900.

Liberal Democrats get 7.9 per cent of votes cast and get 8 seats. Voters per seat 302,000.

Ukip get 12.6 per cent of the votes and 1 seat. Voters per seat 3,881,100.

Greens get 3.8 per cent of the votes and 1 seat. Voters per seat 1,157,600.

This is supposed to be a national election but it is totally unrepresentative of the population as a whole. How is it possible for the SNP to have one seat per 25,900 voters and Ukip to have one seat per 3,881,100 voters. Whatever I may think of Ukip, this is blatantly unfair.

How can voters per MP be 150 times greater depending on who you support? Maybe we need a federal system based on countries and counties.

Maybe we should have regional assemblies, skip London altogether and go straight to Brussels. Anything would be better than the current gerrymandering. Democracy wherefore art thou?

From: Les Arnott, Sheffield.

A LADY from the Electoral Reform Society was recently speaking on the radio and I was surprised to hear that the UK is the final bastion of “first past the post” in Europe.

The recent elections have demonstrated that there is a rank unfairness in FPTP which has to be eliminated. But how? It is certain that the egregious self-interest of Labour and the Tories will mean that they will protect this system of effective disenfranchisement by every means at their disposal.

Democracy, by definition, cannot be permitted to be a tool of vested interests.

From: Coun Tim Mickleburgh (Lab), Grimsby.

IN the aftermath of Labour’s shock election defeat, some ultra-Blairites have blamed the party for moving away from the so-called ideals of New Labour.

Indeed it has been argued that this shift began back in 2007.

Truth be told, it is easy to be wise after the event. And it is worth noting that many of those speaking out now were happy to serve in Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet.