Letter: Politics without George Walden

Sir: I am greatly saddened by George Walden's decision to stand down at the next election, but I wholly agree with his attack on the confrontational style of politics that prevents a rational discussion with the public. The primary cause of this style of politics is the first-past-the-post electoral system, which forces our two-party politics into a gladiatorial conflict with no space left for rational debate or individuals with dissenting opinions.

A change in this system to one that would allow for more voices to be heard, and give the individual voter more choice, would allow our politics to develop into one where a rational debate was the norm and not sadly the exception. I believe that a change to single transferable vote would allow people such as George Walden to play a useful role in our public life.

Yours sincerely,

David Mason

Chairman

Electoral Reform Society

London, SE1

25 July