A proportional representation voting system could spell disaster for Labour | Letters

Gian Lorenzo Spisso says his knowledge of Italian voting systems and British politics leads him to the view that first past the post is the lesser of two evils

Reading that Andy Burnham wants to push electoral reform forward and move the UK towards proportional representation (Report, 29 September), I found myself shouting at the screen.

I come from Italy, where I have seen proportional systems at work. They drive a wedge between MPs and their constituents. They reward tribalism (yes, even more than here). They leave large parts of the electorate hostage to the whims of tiny parties, and force parties into ragtag coalitions that produce unstable, ineffective governments. And for all that, people do not seem to feel any better represented.

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