NOW is the time to abolish the outdated and unfair “first past the post” electoral system. 

In 2019, the Conservative Party won a majority of 80 seats on only 43.6% of the vote.

In other words, it polled less than half of the votes cast. 

So, how does this justify a Conservative government? And an 80-seat majority evidences manipulation at its best. 

The Conservative Party claim they have won a mandate from the British people to govern. Of course that’s a lie: the system is rigged in their favour. An electoral system based on proportional representation and actual votes cast would obviously return a very different political landscape.

Instead of the press reporting on the utter inability of this government to govern, and instead of the election process during which two hopefuls are slugging it out for leadership of this discredited party, we should be looking at scrapping a system which clearly is not fit for purpose and replacing it with one based on democratic principles. 

According to the Electoral Reform Society, many other countries have managed this feat: in fact, of the 43 countries in Europe, 40 use some form of proportional representation.

The UK stands almost alone in Europe in using a “one-person-takes-all” disproportionate voting system. 

Think on this: if the opposition parties collectively promised to bring in a system of proportional representation and an election within the following 12-month period, the

Conservative party would face a reality check of unprecedented impact. And democracy would prevail. It is absolutely time for change.

Mairi Cumming 
Via email

IF the city wants people spending money locally they need to make the streets a more enjoyable place to be (David Linden: Now’s the time to shop local to support our communities, August 12). 

As it stands, the pavements are covered in parked cars or completely destroyed by cars parking on them. The streets are noisy, polluted messes filled with single-occupant cars flying around and not giving way to pedestrians. As a parent I won’t even take my kids down to our local high street (Byres) because the state of it is absolutely disgusting, and the majority of parents I know feel the same way. 

If this city wants people shopping at these shops, then the city’s insane car dominance has to end.

Keith Fuller
Posted online