Readers' letters

It’s time the people of Britain changed from using the First Past the Post system to elect its MPs.

Over the past few hundred years, Britain’s society and democracy have developed and changed beyond recognition.

Our voting system, however, has remained the same.

FPTP is not fit for purpose. I believe we need to change to a system of Proportional Representation.

Here’s why: FPTP distorts the results of our elections and means that Parliament does not reflect the way that people voted.

The 2015 General Election was the most disproportionate in British history and is a shocking example of how our voting system distorts the will of the people.

In 2015, 24 per cent of votes cast were for UKIP, the Liberal Democrats or the Green Party. However, these parties now have only 10 MPs between them – just 1.5 per cent.

One party, the SNP, received 1.5 million votes and won 56 seats in Parliament whilst another, UKIP, received four million votes but just one seat in Parliament.

This isn’t democratic.

Proportional Representation would mean each party’s representation in Parliament would match the share of votes they received.

Parliament would more accurately represent the wide range of views and perspectives in British society.

Together we can!

Eddie Storey

Address supplied

society

Libraries are not just books

In reply to Mr Nick Keer over library closures (WEP, September 27), the main point about being a “technophobe in this modern world” simply doesn’t work.

The fact is people do socialise and go out shopping.

There are still bookshops that are thriving.

Even using the technophobe argument, libraries are not just books, are they?

Many sadly have closed and many are facing closure but these resource centres offer a wide range of services to a wide variety of individuals and families.

Working as a carer on minimum wage and paying council tax, there are many local services I don’t use but I know we have a duty to provide them.

Mr Keer, yes it would be a tragedy for all libraries to close.

David Gregson

Address supplied

society

Access to knowledge

Nick Keer (WEP, September 27) clearly doesn’t know the modern purpose of libraries, which involves far more than borrowing books.

First, he should use his computer to learn a little history.

This would show him that public libraries came about 
in the 1850s to enable 
working class people to read books.

(This upset some MPs who were worried about the social transformation possible as a result).

Today libraries still enable people, who can’t buy books, computers, printers and photocopiers, to have access to them free of charge, together with audio books, ebooks, online magazines, story-telling for children and various groups and clubs.

Come on, Mr Keer.

Stop being so self-satisfied with what you can afford and think of other people – or perhaps you agree with that 19th century MP who didn’t want the poor to have access to knowledge.

S Sleeman

via email