Thank you to the many constituents getting in touch regarding support for Proportional Representation.
I am afraid that I do not support the use of
Proportional Representation and certainly not for UK General Elections.
First Past The Post (FPTP) is a tried and
tested system that encourages political stability and clear governance, and
that also tends to prevent disproportionate influence by minority parties with
minimal public support, who typically end up holding the balance of power in PR
systems.
FPTP is well established and understood by
voters, providing a clear and robust way of electing Members of Parliament, and
the important link between constituents (and constituencies) and their
representatives in Westminster under FPTP is almost universally acknowledged as
a key, and hugely valuable, benefit of the FPTP system.
Most of the time, FPTP produces governments
with working majorities in Parliament, enabling efficient and effective
decision-making, and encouraging proper accountability at election time where
people can easily decide if they prefer the existing governing party to the
main alternative on offer.
In similar vein, FPTP also encourages the
existence of a strong opposition party that can hold the government of the day
accountable and that can try to prepare itself, and present itself, as a
realistic alternative government at the following election.
PR systems are less transparent, more
complicated and less likely to lead to an effective and truly accountable
government. After a somewhat inconclusive PR election in Belgium in 2010 it
took no fewer than 540 days to form a new government. I would also point to
Israel which uses PR and has just had its fourth General Election in two years
having had them in March 2020, September 2019, and April 2019.
I would also add that during these
unprecedented and challenging times and after the Brexit saga of 2019 which
eventually resulted in a General Election and my election as an MP the last
thing that we would need now and having the past year that we have had is a
hung Parliament.
If you would like to discuss this further or
any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me.
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