RICHARD Bridge (Letters, March 23) is right to highlight the huge concern over the under-representation of women in Parliament, with only 23 percent female MPs in the House of Commons.

Any of the 148 female MPs in Westminster have my honest respect, because they gained the upper hand over a man-made political macho system.

But adopting all-female shortlists is just doctoring the deficiency symptoms of an exhausted political system.

With first-past-the-post and just one directly elected candidate per constituency, all-female shortlists are an active discrimination of male candidates,which withdraws their political participation rights.

There is no fair quota possible if there is just one space available. With proportional representation, parties can set themselves a target of what percentage of women they have on their lists to reflect the electorate.

It goes without saying that We also need a political culture that offers women a safe environment in which they want to work and share their talents with the nation.

Lars Kramm, Green Party candidate for Micklegate ward, Leven Road, York.