Ann MacIntosh MP, not surprisingly, does not want voting by proportional representation.
She was elected MP of the Vale of York, with a minority of the total votes cast.
Under the fairest system of PR, which allows for second and third preferences, the winner could be overhauled by the the second placed, with support from second preferences and be closer to representing the whole electorate.
Simply, the first past the post may not necessarily win. While people currently see the SDP as a lost cause, such parties, including the Green Party, would benefit from a sympathy vote, indicating to the 'winner' what people's preferences truly are.
Understandably, Conservatives and Labour prefer first past the post in order to have power.
But it is not weak to listen to others and make decision with the widest possible consensus.
Because PR can achieve this, the SDP supports it.
Coun Tony Pelton,
High Green,
Catterick Village,
North Yorkshire.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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