Thank you for contacting me about Proportional Representation (PR).
I am afraid that I do not agree with your views on PR. I understand the apparent attractions of PR – above all the proportionality in Parliament reflecting the national share of the vote. However I strongly believe that the disadvantages outweigh the positives.
First Past the Post supports the constituency system and tends to produce decisive results: producing a Government that can be held to account. I prefer this to a system in which politicians produce manifestos knowing they are unlikely to be in a position to implement them and in which the Government of the country not occasionally but systematically is dependent on negotiations held after the election between parties. I suspect these might well result routinely in fringe political parties securing leverage out of all proportion to the votes cast in their favour.
The one occasion a change was proposed via referendum in 2011 the electorate voted heavily in favour of retaining FPTP.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
